Dark Paradise
by moon ash
Summary: Rukia Yamamoto, a multi-millionaire heiress, is abducted by Aizen. Byakuya, a famous model and heir to the Kuchiki gang, is entrusted with her welfare. As they grow closer and closer, they fall in love. Is it real love or simply Stockholm Syndrome?
1. Part 1, Point 1

**A/N:**** Hey, this is the first part of my extended one-shot, I say one-shot, well originally it was, but I couldn't be arsed to beta read 22k words in one document, and I thought some of you may not want to read it if it's all contained in one go, so I've split it up with the idea that it's still a one-shot…sort of…**

**So, I've been writing this since early March, but there are another 17k words to go in part 1, (so this is part 1.1, as it were.) Basic Stockholm syndrome plot line with Byaruki fluffiness 3**

**Warnings: Swearing (language) (I use the word 'fuck' a lot), distressing situations, violence, abuse, sex, young (but legal) Rukia, older Byakuya, generally what's in my other fics/one-shots.**

**Don't own Bleach.**

**Not going to write much more, I have exams soon ;_; but I'll keep posting for this until I've done part 1.**

**Also, quick question (don't judge me), do anyone of you download/buy Bleach doujinshi? If you do, which websites do you use? I'm weird about downloading stuff, as I don't want to screw over my mac…thanks!**

**Dark Paradise **

Byakuya-Rukia Extended One-Shot

Part: 1.1

_Drip…drip…drip…_the girl groaned in her half-conscious state, refusing to give into the danger. They must have slipped her something, a sedative perhaps? On a normal day, the constant drip of the tap would have driven her crazy but she could no longer afford such luxuries, to only have a noise to worry about. Still, the dripping was considerably preferable than the feeling of cold steel pressed against her temple. Since she had had her sight cut from her, she no longer had any idea where she was; she could only tell that they had moved locations several times. Her sense of hearing and touch had also increased in sensitivity exponentially, the rough feel of the clothes they had made her wear left red trails over her skin. She concentrated on the dripping, desperately trying to fight against the comfort that was continuing to constrict her. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept and although she had a constant feeling of nausea and the worst headache she had ever experienced, staying awake reminded her that she could be on her guard.

The girl wiggled her wrists a little, desperately trying to relieve the pressure, and wincing as her restraints rubbed against the sore, bleeding skin.

At first, she had cried and cried, desperately trying to make any form of noise to attract attention. She had begged to begin with, imploring them to release her and leave her unharmed. They had laughed at her before stating that if she cooperated, they wouldn't hurt her. After some time however, her rationality had crept back in as she realised she had not been hurt her beyond the discomfort she was feeling from the restraints and sleep deprivation. Indeed, they had kept to their word, and as she cooperated they had not made any effort to harm her, nor had they issued any humiliating or harmful commands. They had ordered her to change her clothes at some point and they had allowed her some privacy in the back of a car, but she had been heavily guarded as they waited outside of the vehicle. She had been awarded her sight then, but she had rarely been given it since. Whether it was because they were afraid of their faces being seen or whether they didn't want her to realise where she was, she didn't know, but although she was desperate to have her sight restored, part of her never wanted to look upon the faces of those who were doing this to her. Instead she had begun to listen to the voices of her captors to distinguish one from the other. She had become familiar with at least five different voices, and she daren't even guess how many there were in total.

She snapped her head around as the loud door creaked open, flooding light into her room, though she could still only see black. A new wave of sickness hit her as her heartbeat sped up rapidly, fear gripping her once more, what could they want this time?

"She's still awake!" came the surprised voice of the one she had dubbed 'the cocky-sounding man,' "The boss was right, she is a fighter."

"Indeed," came the voice of an individual whom she had never heard before, a new one? "A pretty little thing, too."

The girl shivered, this new man's voice was far worse than any of the others she had heard. His voice was laced with false sweetness; that much she could tell already, and he was doing a fantastic job at creeping her out. Chills shot up her spine as he complimented her and she could have sworn she felt his smothering presence threaten the life from her. She sighed as she finally let her chin rest against her collarbone, sleep licking at the edges of her consciousness once more. She still had no idea why she was in this situation and whether anyone had even taken action about that fact that she was missing, were the police looking for her? She chocked back a sob. She would have given anything to be back within the strong walls of her family home.

"She'll be out cold anytime now," the cocky man continued, "We'll be able to move her to the permanent location."

"Excellent," the spine-chilling man concluded, "The boss will be very pleased indeed."

A new location? Were they planning on moving her again? Just like the man had predicted, she felt herself slipping away as she tried to process this new information, and within a few seconds, she had given into the comfort.

xxxxxxx

The tall young man couldn't help but feel both excited and a little nervous as he sauntered towards his grandfather's office. This wasn't his first time dealing in fieldwork; sure, he had been involved in small cases before, but nothing of quite this magnitude. He chose instead to specialise in the business side of the gang like his grandfather, and unlike the majority of the members of their large underworld band, he was far from stupid. He was incredibly intelligent in fact, achieving top grades as a child and teenager, propelling him much farther than others his age. Why get your hands dirty when a bunch of idiotic lackeys can do it for you? Dissimilar to their trading partners, Ginrei and Byakuya Kuchiki did not see the point in getting caught up in their wares, neither have touched narcotics nor have ever wanted to. From a financial point of view, the drug market was heavily successful for the Kuchiki's, and Byakuya had even visited several warehouses and sellers during his short period of life to confirm that business was running smoothly. He was, however, never interested in taking the substances and he decided he would much rather keep his life and handsome features. He enjoyed working behind the scenes, managing the family accounts and figures as well as setting up trades with their business associates.

He was also, a well-known playboy. In the public eye he was Kurogawa Byakuya, the young, charming and attractive model working for highly successful fashion companies, in and out of relationships like there was no tomorrow. He is only the young age of twenty-two, and several of his previous conquests had been Japanese celebrities, singers, models and actresses, all of which ended up as nothing more than notches on his bedpost. In private however, he was the grandson of one of the most notorious organised crime leaders, the world at his feet, Kuchiki Byakuya.

He knocked on his grandfather's study door before waiting for a reply, and then proceeding to enter. He gave a small bow as he entered, moving over to stand beside the desk as his grandfather rounded up any last paperwork.

"Shall we be off?" Ginrei concluded as he picked up a large file from his desk, checking it through quickly before tucking the chair into his desk. He handed the file to his grandson as he reached up to grab his coat from the hook by the front door. Byakuya took the file, peering at it curiously before lifting the cover and looking at the first page, frowning. "I'll tell you in the car."

The younger man nodded as he followed his elder, putting on his coat as he went, and stopping at the sleek car that was parked on their private drive. Their chauffeur gave a bow before pulling the car door open for Ginrei and then shuffling around the car to open the other door for Byakuya. Sliding into the driver's seat, she started the car so it purred gently before pressing the button for the electric gates and driving off down the quiet street.

"Matsumoto," Ginrei addressed the driver, "Warehouse B."

"Yes sir," Rangiku replied, indicating to turn onto the motorway.

"What case is this, grandfather?" Byakuya asked as he sipped at the champagne that had been prepared by Matsumoto for their journey.

"We've been asked to take charge of a case that is currently being conducted by our business partner, Aizen," Ginrei started, taking the file from his grandson and opening it to reveal the front page that Byakuya had already briefly glanced at, "It's a ransom case."

"Ransom?" Byakuya asked incredulously, his brows coming together, "We never deal in these kinds of cases."

"I know," Ginrei agreed, flipping through the pages with a sigh, "It's not usually our business style, as you know, we hardly ever conduct ransom cases, and when we have, none have been on this large a scale before."

"Then, why are we getting involved?" Byakuya continued to press Ginrei for answers.

"The police are on to Aizen," Ginrei said with a slight shake of his head, "He isn't willing to let nearly a years' planning go down the drain, not that I can blame him, but naturally, being a top Yakuza boss, the police are on to him. He has certainly left no evidence, but with the slightest possibility of being tracked down, he's creating new options."

"And what's in it for us? It seems like a lot of effort for one mission and it could land us in a sticky situation if we are caught up in this," the younger man mused.

"Staying in good relations with our business partners is imperative if we ever find we need assistance with one of our endeavours," Ginrei reminded the young Kuchiki, "Besides, a third of the pay-off can't be bad."

"Hmm," Byakuya replied, slowly warming up the idea that perhaps his grandfather was right. He had never had reason to disbelieve his grandfather before, his lightning fast deductions had always worked out in their favour when someone was screwing them over, after all, "Who is the captive?"

"A young girl by the name of Rukia Yamamoto," Ginrei revealed, turning the page to reveal her profile. Byakuya relieved his grandfather of the file, brining it close to his face to try and make out the grainy picture of a girl. He could hardly make her features out but he could tell she was young. He handed the file back to his grandfather, desperately trying to figure out why the name sounded familiar, "She's just been transported from one of Aizen's warehouses in Tokyo to ours here. It's hundreds of miles from where she was picked up from; it'll take the police several months to even track her journey through Tokyo, never mind about her journey to other warehouses outside the capital."

"How old is she?" Byakuya asked, wracking his brain for the connection.

"Sixteen," Ginrei concluded, "An incredibly valuable sixteen year old at that, worth several hundred million at least."

"Wait…" Byakuya suddenly said, finally making the connection, "Yamamoto, did you say? You mean heiress Yamamoto? Heiress of Yamamoto industries?"

"Indeed," Ginrei confirmed, proud that it didn't take all that long for his grandson to figure it out, "Not only is she worth a sincere amount of money in herself, but she's also the only living relative of the elderly man and in line to inherit all of his vast industries."

"What do they have planned for her?" Byakuya asked with increasingly curiosity. Most cases had no interest to him; however, he had had no inclination that the case that his grandfather had wanted him to take involvement in would be this interesting. He had never come across such a heavily operated and complex case. He knew that if any one of Aizen's men were to screw up in even the slightest, Aizen wouldn't hesitate in having them permanently removed, regardless of their rank within the gang. Aizen was a brilliant boss, both intelligent and ruthless and he never failed to rub Byakuya up the wrong way. Byakuya held a great deal of respect for the man, as did is grandfather, but there was something about the man that he didn't like. Perhaps it was because they didn't share business tactics, and they specialised in different crimes. Nonetheless, Byakuya could never shake off the uneasy feeling he felt around the man.

"They've had hold of her for a little over a month now," Ginrei replied with a sigh, continuing to flick through the file, "When I first heard about this case a few weeks ago, I thought Aizen had originally been in this just for the ransom, and was going to release a statement to the media asking for a certain amount of money for her return. However, I had suggested that Aizen lend some of our men in a friendly offer of assistance, and to gather more information on this case, merely to satisfy my own curiosity, of course. I managed to find out that Aizen has bigger plans for the heiress."

"They're not going to sell her to the sex industry are they?" Byakuya asked with a frown, she was worth far too much to sell her off into such an industry.

"No, nothing of the sort," Ginrei replied, agreeing that such a move would be incredibly unwise, "It turns out that Yamamoto caught wind of the fact that some of his share holders were Yakuza, though he did not know they belonged to Aizen directly. Naturally, he bought out their shares and had them fired from the company. Due to the nature of his corporation, he holds nearly half of the Japanese stock market as well as some smaller, very successful companies in timber, steel and transport." Byakuya nodded, taking in the story intently, "Realising that they'd lost a good foot hold in the corporation, Aizen was furious and began plotting the kidnap of his granddaughter. If Aizen takes the corporation, he will then control a large majority of Japanese stocks, helping his large drug trafficking and women trafficking business. It's not only money and power he's after, but also raw materials and overseas business. Anything for his syndicate to grow in power and settle his vendetta in the process."

"So he's holding the girl for ransom?" Byakuya asked, reaching over to the champagne bottle and refilling his grandfather's glass before replacing his own, "Surely they would have asked for a certain amount and gotten it by now, it's been over a month by now."

"Exactly," Ginrei concluded, "I thought the same until about a week ago. Giving the nature of Aizen, it's not difficult to realise that he's doing it to tease Yamamoto, who, by this point, will have no idea who has taken her or why. Since he had no idea that those particular men he had fired belong to Aizen specifically, all Yakuza bosses in Tokyo are being investigated. If he moves her out and sends on the documents to us, they police can drop their suspicions. Seeing as we mainly operate in Osaka and not Tokyo, we're not a prime suspect. Aizen wants to make this as difficult for the old man as possible and he knows that he's greatly attached to his granddaughter. Keeping her for as long as possible before releasing a statement will certainly torment him, to the point where even I feel a great deal of pity for him. Additionally, he's hoping to extract information out of the girl in the process. There have been special orders issued for his men to never lay a finger on her, but I know he's been trying to get details of the company from her in case the ransom becomes problematic."

"Extracting…information…? Byakuya couldn't help put ask with a grimace. He, like his grandfather before him, had never wanted to specialise in women trafficking or abuse, it just wasn't their thing and it certainly wasn't their style.

"I'm not sure how Aizen is treating her," Ginrei replied, his face equally grim, "But I can't think that he'd be treating her overly well."

"Hn," Byakuya grunted as he shifted in the leather seats a little, "So all we have to do is babysit her for a while."

"Yes," Ginrei concluded, shutting the file and placing it on the seat next to him, "We'll meet Aizen now, discuss the girl and leave her to the hands of our men until the suspicions die down. We needn't get involved with her too much as our men will watch over her."

"Good," Byakuya replied, he was far too busy with his modelling career and the finances of the business to get involved in a case, particularly a case involving a sixteen year old brat.

He casually flicked through the file once more, boredom creeping over him now as Matsumoto continued down the motorway, turning off when they finally reached their junction. They had only been in the car twenty minutes when Matsumoto meandered through several rocky paths towards a large group of warehouses, before parking up in the car park of the largest building. The gravel crunched under the woman's shoes as she opened the car door for Ginrei and then Byakuya in turn, bowing as the two made their way to the large building.

"It's been a while, Ginrei," the smooth voice of Aizen reverberated through the air, bouncing off the metal walls.

"Indeed, Aizen," Ginrei agreed, stopping in front of the sitting man and holding out his hand. The younger man smiled as he returned the sentiment, shaking the elderly hand lightly.

"Byakuya," Aizen greeted him, stepping away from the old man and shaking the model's hand, "The last time I saw you in person, you were considerably younger. I did of course see you on a large billboard in the centre of Shibuya, modelling your latest line of fashion on the drive over here. I heard you have started dating a famous singer, how's that going?"

"Fine, thank you," Byakuya replied curtly, refusing to rise to the older man's taunts. He suddenly remembered why he resented Aizen and he realised that he certainly didn't agree with this case, but he trusted his grandfather and that was enough for him…for now.

"Where is the girl?" Ginrei asked, ending Aizen's teasing, much to Byakuya's relief.

"In your basement," Aizen replied as he casually made his way back to the table, taking the time to sip at his whiskey, "We're giving her a break."

"A break?" Ginrei asked curiously, frowning at the smiling man.

"We asked her a few questions earlier," Aizen revealed, a cruel smile tugging at the edges of his mouth, "So we decided that we would give her a break for now."

"How is she proving?" Ginrei asked, sitting down on the other side of the table as he motioned for a drink from a man nearby, "Thank you, Kira."

Aizen laughed a little, pushing his glasses further up his nose as he turned to face Ginrei, "Difficult…"

"I thought as much," Ginrei replied. He knew what old man Yama was like, a ruthless businessman himself, albeit a legal one. He would have taught his granddaughter to say little to nothing if someone was trying to extract information from her, "What have you managed to get out of her?"

"Very little, I'm afraid," Aizen sighed, "At first she wouldn't even answer simple questions such as 'What is your name?' or 'When is your birthday?' We know all of these answers already, of course, but we need to get her to trust us, if we are to get the gold."

"Absolutely," Ginrei agreed, sipping his own whiskey now, "How have my men proved?"

"Excellent," Aizen smiled, looking over at Byakuya now, "They've been most helpful." Aizen motioned with his fingers for the men standing guard nearby to join them.

"Yes, sir," a red haired man replied.

"Thank you for your help, Abarai," Aizen thanked the man before sending him back to Ginrei.

"Good work, Renji," Ginrei agreed, thanking his number one wingman.

"Thank you for your kind words, sir," Renji replied with a smile.

"I must take my leave soon," Aizen said abruptly before draining his glass and getting up, "My partner Gin and I have some urgent business to deal with back in Tokyo."

"I understand," Ginrei replied, also getting up to stand opposite the man, "What of the girl?"

"Get her to talk," Aizen almost commanded, "She isn't responding to any of our efforts, friendly or otherwise. Get her to trust you, charm her if you must, but make sure you get everything and if you withhold anything from me, I'll find out, you can trust me on that."

"Of course," Ginrei replied truthfully, "We'll hold her here for a few months while everything quietens down in Tokyo. We're not after any of this information so it would be to our detriment to screw you over."

"Good," Aizen said with a smile as he walked over to Byakuya, Gin following right behind him, "And Byakuya, I know your reputation with women…I don't care in the slightest what you to do to her, but make sure she stays in one piece…and alive…this would have all been for nothing if she were to pack up…and guess who would be paying the price…" He smiled at the scowling young man before walking off with Gin, leaving them with a simple "Good day."

"Renji," Byakuya addressed after he had watched Gin chauffer Aizen down the path that they had came earlier. He hadn't missed the fact that Matsumoto had exchanged words with Gin before he drove off, and he knew there was something going on between them, but he had little interest in them, "Status report."

"The girl is safely contained within the basement with a camp bed and a small toilet, we've put her in much better conditions than Aizen did," Renji said with a grimace, "She's had her blindfold taken off for a few hours so she could be questioned but it will be put back on shortly…she's a strong one, I have to say."

"Blindfold?" Byakuya asked incredulously, almost raising his voice at the absurdity.

"Yes, sir," Renji continued, "To protect our identities, in case she blabs to the authorities when she is eventually released. She hasn't seen any of us, the only person she's seen is Aizen."

Byakuya didn't know how to proceed, it was certainly good planning on Aizen's part…but it just seemed as shocking as it did cruel. Byakuya had never heard of a captive being practically blindfolded, and he couldn't imagine how scared she must be.

"For the very least," Ginrei concluded, "It denies our involvement if she never sees any of us directly. The quicker we get her to talk, the sooner we can give her back and be rid of her. This could be very lucrative for us if all goes to plan, but it could be just as destructive if she escapes or reveals us as accomplices. We'll have at least two men guarding her door at all times and several in the warehouse at any given time."

"Excellent, Sir!" Renji agreed enthusiastically, wanting to give the brat back as soon as possible, "We've just gotta get her to talk!"

"We need to treat her well in the hopes that in time she'll trust us and slip up," Ginrei continued, "Equally, if she trusts us, I'm sure we can coax information from her."

"I'll take a whack at her," Renji volunteered in a confident voice, "I'm great with the ladies!"

"You'll scare her," Byakuya pointed out, "Especially with that common accent."

"Byakuya," Ginrei said with a smile, turning to his grandson "I want you to do it."

"What?" he snapped at his grandfather, like fuck was he even going to meet her let alone get to know her and gain her trust.

"I'm putting her in your charge," Ginrei concluded, "I'm no fool when it comes to your womanizing. I'm certain one of Japan's most popular male idols can get a vulnerable, young girl to trust him."

"Are 'ya sure?" Renji asked dejectedly, "I'm sure I'd charm her real quick!"

"No," Ginrei ordered, "If anyone's going to do it, it's my grandson. Besides, he needs the experience of fieldwork. I won't always be around and he needs to learn this first-hand."

Byakuya scowled, his fists clenching in rage at the hand he had been dealt. The more he was nice to her, the more she would open up to him, and ultimately, the quicker he could get rid of her.

xxxxxxx

Rukia practically screamed at the sudden sharp pain in her eyes as the blindfold was ripped from her face. She clenched her eyes shut, breathing heavily as she desperately tried to adjust to the sudden light. It took a full five minutes to get used to the change and even then her eyes were still blurry.

"Good morning, Rukia," a familiar voice sounded from afar. She looked up, blinking multiple times as her sight cleared a little. She gasped as she finally managed to put a face to the voice she had been hearing the entire time she was in confinement. She grimaced as she took in his face, the light casting eerie shadows on the man's features. An almost snake like man stood beside him, a fake smile plastered on his face, and the girl instantly matched him by voice. She shuddered as the man smiled down at her and she was surprisingly grateful for the blindfold, "I'm glad you've adjusted to the light. We were beginning to worry about you." Rukia wanted to laugh at their false kindness but she knew she was in no position to reply. She took the opportunity to look around the room, taking in anything that would help identify where she was or who these men were. The cell provided no information however, there was no writing anywhere and the room was only a dingy basement style space. She looked to the men in the background, trying to see the faces of the men keeping her hostage, a sudden jolt of fear hitting her as they were cast in shadow.

"How are you feeling today?" Aizen asked, pulling her attention to him once more. Rukia tried to keep her head down, the lighting continuing to make her feel dizzy as waves of nausea swept over her. She kept silent, trying to focus on the here and now instead of giving in to her urges to vomit. Aizen smiled at her silence, he knew this was going to be far from easy. "Let's just calm down and have a little chat," he tried, his voice sickly sweet, "Or we could play a small game, do you like games, Rukia?" Silence. "The game we're going to play…look at me Rukia," she let out a groan as she strained her head to look up at him, another wave hitting her from the light, "The game we are going to play is called 'Cooperation.' The rules are simple. I'm going ask you some questions, you'll answer them, and then we won't hurt you. If you refuse to answer, then who's to stop them from hurting you?"

Rukia shuddered as some of the men behind her laughed, sending chills up her spine and renewing her sense of fear. She nodded, hoping that the questions were easy to answer.

"Good, so we understand each other," Aizen continued, pacing back and forth in front of her, "First question. What are the passwords to your grandfather's offshore accounts?"

"What?" Rukia couldn't help but blurt out, her face pulling together in confusion.

"We both know that your grandfather owns a massive empire of companies, stocks and shareholders," Aizen explained slowly to the disorientated girl, "And all of this information is stored at various locations offshore from mainland Japan. I want you to tell me what the passwords are…"

Rukia inhaled deeply, fearful for the limited amount of information she could provide. At least she knew for now what they were interested in and since they obviously needed her, killing her was out of the question, "I…I don't know…

"What do you mean you don't know?" Aizen asked, practically laughing at her refusal to help him.

"I don't have access to anything until I'm twenty-one," she tried to explain, flinching at his harsh laugh, "I don't know anything…"

"Well we'll just have to keep you here for the next five years, then, won't we?" he threatened in a light tone, "Now you tell us what we need or we'll hurt you."

"I don't know anythi-" Rukia began to say, only to be cut off as Aizen brought his hand across her face, hard, causing her to cry out loud at the sudden pain. She was breathing deeply, registering the shock as her face stung, now red from the slap.

"Such a pity," Aizen tutted, "You are a pretty thing. It's a shame to see your face marred like that…Now, unless you want your other cheek to match, I suggest you tell us what you know."

Rukia kept her head down, trying to hold back the tears as a stray fell down her throbbing cheek. She knew very little, only sure or the places where her grandfather kept the information, but like the man in front of her, she knew nothing of the passwords or the information inside the vaults. She shook her head, enforcing that she knew nothing or that she would be unwilling to talk.

Aizen sighed internally. It was proving useless to get anything out of her, but he knew she knew something, she wasn't completely in the dark, "Okay, let's try it this way," he said, trying a new approach, "Here's another question, nice and simple. Tell us your full name…"

Rukia shook her head, realising that they were trying to get her to talk with kind, slow words.

"How old are you?" he asked, becoming increasingly frustrated, perhaps she would talk if he threatened her a little more or threatened to unleash his men on her? She kept quiet again; looking down at the floor as several tears continued to journey down the redness. "If you don't start talking, I can think of several things that will get you to talk. Am I right, boys?" Aizen laughed along with the men behind her, prompting her to curl into herself a little more as her heart pounded hard in her chest and nausea threatened.

"Sir," the snake-like man behind him cut through the tension, "They're here."

"You're fortunate," Aizen smirked at Rukia, who had now looked up through wet eyes, "We'll give you a little break. Give you some time to think about what you want to tell us. Blindfold her…"

Within a flash, hands were covering her mouth and eyes before she was plunged back into darkness. She felt the men leave and heard their footsteps up the stone steps, the metal door slamming behind them.


	2. Part 1, Point 2

**A/N: I should be totally studying right now ;_; **

**Thanks Vicky for the reply to my question! I found some nice Doujinshi, though the one Byaruki I read made me wince a bit as Rukia was looking a little like a loli and that freaks me out…but found some hot Shunsui x Nanao ;) I should be studying…no doujinshi or fanfiction for me…**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I know that you all wanted me to update my other stories, and I will, I have most of the next chapter of 'MDTMS' done but, here's the thing, I get carried away and write more than planned in the story, it was forecast to be about 10 chapters long, but now it's more like 30…orz…forgive me!**

**Warnings: Swearing, fluff, terrified Rukia, playboy Byakuya, Byahime…? Is that even the pairing name? Dunno, don't ship the pairing really…but don't worry, more byaruki on the way! Mentions of masturbation…general M stuff! Oh, Orihime bashing! I like her really, but sometimes I wish she would shut the fuck up with the 'Kurosaki-kun, Kurosaki-kun…' Even my boyfriend can see past her huge breasts and thinks she's annoying. **

**I Don't own Bleach.**

Part: 1.2

"Do you need any help, Byakuya?" Renji asked, standing next to the door that led down the basement. He regarded the slightly older man, how much he had changed since they were children, and yet their friendship had remained very much intact. The redhead knew Byakuya better than anyone else. He trusted Byakuya with his life, and the older man shared these feelings.

"No," he said with a shake of his head, "It'll be fine. She'll become more comfortable if it's just me with her. Stand guard by the door and I'll be out soon."

"Sir," Renji agreed with a nod, taking the time to stop Byakuya just before he opened the heavy door, "Byakuya…I'm telling you as a friend, be careful. I know how you are with the ladies…we don't need her falling head over heels…"

Byakuya laughed at the younger man's absurdity, "I'm not interested in little girls."

He smirked and shook his head at Renji's words before opening the door and descending down the cold steps, taking off his jacket and placing it on the chair near the door. He looked around the basement, locating the small, scared girl curled in the corner and noting how she immediately lifted her head at the sound of his footsteps.

"Who's there?" she called out, her voice a little aggressive. Byakuya smiled to himself, she certainly had spirit.

"You must be Rukia," he stated, walking over to her and standing in front of her as she looked around, trying to locate him by sound.

Rukia didn't reply straight away. His voice was new to her, it was smooth yet almost husky, and she hoped that if she played her cards right, he might be naive enough to let her go, "Please…let me go…"

"Sorry," Byakuya replied, squatting down opposite her to get a better look, "As much as I'd like to let you go, I've been given strict orders to keep you here."

"You'll be sorry when my boyfriend gets here!" she threatened, tears beginning to fall once more as she tried to talk confidently.

"You have a boyfriend?" Byakuya asked with a smirk, maybe she wouldn't be so bad to look after; she certainly was giving him a run for his money.

"Yes!" she replied, looking straight ahead as she realised that he was now in front of her.

"I see," he replied, looking around at her red cheek with a frown, "What did they do to you?" His hand graced her cheek, cool upon her skin as he cupped it gently, causing whimpers from the frightened girl. "Did they hit you?" Rukia nodded, unable to stop the blush from her cheeks at he wiped away her stray tears, "I'm sorry, it must sting." She felt his hand leave her cheek, and for a split second, she wanted the coolness against the heat again, soothing and gentle. She shook her head however, she must never place trust in anyone here, not matter how kind they seem. She tried to hear for the man's footsteps, straining her ears for any form of dialogue. She heard the door open and then the shuffling of feet before it closed again, only to open once more a few minutes later. Upon hearing the footsteps growing louder again, she struggled to listen for multiple people.

"It's just me," she heard the man reply. She heard him stop before her and felt his presence very close to her body once more, making her feel uneasy again, "It's only going to be me for a long while."

"Why?" she asked, tilting her head to the side and his fingers guided her chin.

"I've been put in charge of looking after you," he revealed, making her screech as she felt a biting cold against her cheek, "So, look after you, I will."

"Why do you care about me?" she asked suddenly, tilting her head back to face him, "And what it this thing?"

"A cold compress," he replied calmly, sitting on his knees opposite her, his hand pressed to her face, "And believe it or not, but I'm not like the other guys who have been keeping you hostage. Now, while I can't let you go, I think that we can make it easier for you."

"How do I know you're not going to abuse my trust?" she asked warily.

"You don't," he replied with a small laugh, "But I'm all you've got."

Byakuya looked down at the rest of her, grimacing at the sight. Her wrists had obviously been tied for some time; the rope had long cut into her skin, making it raw and bleeding. She looked like she could have used a bath or shower too. He found himself pitying her and sighed at how he wished they weren't in this situation. He got up quickly and had Renji lock the door from the outside, lest she try to escape, before replacing the cold compress on her skin for a short while. He took it away from her after some time, apologizing as she protested before taking her hands in his, inspecting the rope.

"How often did they take these off?" he asked.

"Every once in a while," she replied with a wince, "I have no perception of time anymore…" Byakuya sighed, of course she would have no idea how long the periods of confinement would be, she had hadn't seen daylight properly for at least a month. He quickly retrieved his pocketknife from his jacket pocket, grabbing her wrists roughly.

"Right, listen young lady," he almost reprimanded, "I'm going to cut your bonds in order to make you more comfortable, but, I do not want you taking off your blindfold whenever I'm here. I don't want to see you without your blindfold, ever. If you try to escape, you won't even get passed your door. There are twenty men within fifty metres of this door at all times, and orders are to shoot you on sight if you try to escape." Rukia gulped, slight fear creeping into her once more as his grip tightened on her wrists, shooting pain up her arms, "Good, and if I do see you with your blindfold off and you do see who I am, I can just as easily break you with my bare hands."

She nodded quickly, and Byakuya could see the fear in her face. He hated to use such barbaric words and he would never want to hurt a woman, but he needed to be sure that he was safe if she decided to reveal his identity once her captors returned her. He was walking a fine line as it was, letting her free to move around was dangerous in itself, but what was to stop her from lifting the blindfold straight away? He sighed, he was being ridiculously risky, but he would have to trust her, like she must him. He brought the small but sharp blade against the bindings, gripping her arm tightly and rubbing the metal against the fibres as it began to cut them away. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying out in pain, the rough material rasping against the broken skin, "I know, it hurts. I'm sorry. Just try and push through it." He tried to soothe her, genuinely feeling a tad sorry for her. A tear escaped and she cried out in relief as the bonds finally gave way, falling to the floor as a few drops of blood stained the stone. Byakuya retrieved his clean handkerchief from his pocket, wrapping it tightly around the bleeding wrist.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered, relieved that she could move her arms again. She briefly toyed with the idea of getting a quick peek at him, but she feared his words more.

"It's my job to look after you," he repeated, glancing down at his watch as he picked up the rope, "I need to head off soon due to a prior engagement, but there are men outside if you get into a panic...and don't try to escape, they really will shoot you. I'm going to try and bring you things to make you more comfortable, so if you want something like…I don't know…girly sweets or books or something to pass the time, I'm sure I can bring some to you. Is there anything you want me to get you for when I see you next?"

Rukia slowly rose to her feet, using the wall behind her for support and clinging to it, "You'd do that?"

"Yes, of course," he replied truthfully, taking his coat and slinging it over his shoulder, "I said I'd try and make it more comfortable for you. Is there anything really pressing that you want?"

Rukia hesitated, could she really believe him? The worst that could happen would be for him to lie, "I…Could I have some clean clothes…please? These are really itchy and dirty and I want to change please…"

Byakuya sighed, he really did pity her, and god knows when she had last had any form of clean clothes or a shower or anything, "I'll fetch something."

"Thank you," she replied, giving a small smile for the first time in over a month, "You're really not like the other guys, are you?"

"I try not to be," he matched her smile, heading up the steps to the door.

xxxxxxx

Her body was ravishing as her slimming green dress skirted the floor, her large breasts pushed up as she rested her elbows on the table. They were certainly inviting and left little to the imagination as her body language gave the young man a crystal clear message of what she wanted from the evening. Her lip glossed mouth puckered every now and again as she tried to act cute, and normally, this would have worked…but it was a shame she was a fucking airhead. Byakuya sighed internally as he sat back, keeping his face set into a flawless smile. He laughed at her terrible jokes and humoured her now and again but he was dying to escape. He didn't even care about sex at this point; he doubted she would shut up for even a second during it anyway. Sure, she would have been a good fuck and her body was to die for, but he had gone past caring for her conversation on girly shit. He had been mildly interested at first, but forty minutes of the same monotonous topic was more than enough for him. He didn't care where she bought her make-up and shoes and dresses nor did he care for how much her fans adored her and men lusted after her.

"I'm sorry if I'm boring you," she said after some time, her voice jumping a pitch in an effort to sound cute.

"You're not," he lied smoothly with a smile, "It's interesting to know about your singing career, Miss Inoue."

"Please," she said for the third time, "Call me Orihime."

"Sure…Orihime," he smiled, taking a sip of wine.

"I've had a lovely time," she continued, leaning on the table to accentuate herself, "But the night is young…"

"It is," Byakuya agreed with a smirk, "But I'm afraid I must retire soon, as I have an early appointment with my agency…"

"Oh," Orihime said, taken aback as she straightened up, "Then maybe some other time."

"Absolutely," Byakuya agreed, inwardly smirking at the disappointment that laced her voice. He signalled to the waiter for the bill and shot Orihime a dashing smile as she shrugged her coat onto her slim shoulders. He paid and tipped the waiter before taking the gorgeous girl outside and into the summer night, his arm slipping around her waist as he guided her to his car.

"Are you sure you can't come back to mine?" she asked seductively as her back leant against the car door, her fingers playing with the collar of his shirt.

"Nothing would give me more pleasure," he replied huskily, his fingers bringing her face up to his, "But I can't this time, I'm sorry." He pressed his lips against hers gently, breaking off quickly before she could seduce him further. He was almost tempted to go back to hers, he hadn't had sex in a while…but he couldn't stand any more of her talking, she sounded like any other bimbo from the street every time she opened her mouth. Preferring to play it safe, he moved away from her and walked round to his side of the car, sliding into the drivers seat and turning on the engine.

Disappointed, but left yearning for more, Orihime Inoue, the famous and very talented international pop star, accompanied Byakuya Kuchiki into his sleek car, hoping that they could have dinner again some time.

xxxxxxx

Byakuya didn't regret his decision regarding Orihime. He had been able to relax at home, take that long desired soak in his bath, and he didn't even mind about having to go solo that evening. He switched the television on, drying his hair with his towel in one hand as he flicked through the channels with the other hand, stopping as a programme caught his attention. He smirked as a female newsreader spoke to the camera as information scrolled along the bottom on the screen, recapping the day's headlines.

"The search continues for the multi-millionaire heiress Yamamoto Rukia, who was last seen two months ago," the newsreader reported, her voice solemn as she talked at the camera, "It is now being suspected that she was taken whilst on her walk home from school and the police are looking towards various leads for answers. Yakuza and Mafia leaders have been brought into questioning, but nothing has been confirmed. Sources are looking into whether the girl may still be alive and authorities are urging the general public to come forth with any information they may have. We'll be back tomorrow with a full review. Good evening."

He turned off the TV before placing the remote on his bedside table and throwing his towel onto the radiator. He decided to sit up in bed, thinking about the newsreaders information and the meeting with Aizen before turning his attention to the frightened girl who was currently located in the basement of his grandfather's company warehouse. He technically hadn't lied when he had told Orihime he had modelling to do the next day, he was tied up with work, albeit in the afternoon. In fact he had a busy schedule for the rest of this week and thought about how to manage his time if he had to take care of the girl. He had promised her some clothes and he himself wanted to help clear the rawness of her wrists, but he didn't know when he would be able to see her for a decent amount of time next. He shifted his pillow down, lying down fully before flicking the light off, going through his plans in his head as he eventually fell into an uneasy asleep.


	3. Part 1, Point 3

**A/N: I finished my exams and finished university for the year! OH MY GOD, GAME OF THRONES, KORRA, GAME OF THRONES, KORRA #ALLthefeels!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I tend to write late at night and as a result I fuck up every now and again. Her last name is Yamamoto, and I fucked up in the last chapter, but I fixed it. **

**L: I plan to update this every Monday * ****crosses fingers, ***** and I am uploading so fast because this has all been pre-written, to a certain point! **

**I know everyone wants Rukia's suffering to end, but we need the hurt to have the comfort! And yeah, Byakuya is a playboy but, there's hope for him yet! **

**I don't own Bleach.**

**WAR NINGS: Fluff, Byarukiness, Rukia showing she has some balls, adult/suggestive themes, language, older Byakuya, younger Rukia, though you know that by now!**

Part: 1.3

Having her hands finally unbound was like heaven on earth for Rukia. She had finally been able to eat and move around properly, as well as slip her blindfold on and off repeatedly. She had even toyed with the idea of keeping it off full time so she could look at the faces of these new men that she did not know. She would at least be able to get justice against them when she would finally be returned to her family, that way. She had quickly remembered the words of the man who had last visited her however, and decided against it. After having been 'questioned' by the other large man with the snake-like aide, she realised that while they probably wouldn't kill her, they could very much use and abuse her.

She had however, taken the time to look around her cell fully, looking for nooks, holes, loose bricks, anything that she could use to escape with. She was desperate to escape, some of these men seemed ruthless and could have her killed or tortured at any point, but rationality overruled her fear. For one, even if she did manage to break out, she had no idea where she was, was she even still in Japan? They had drugged her many times, who's to say they hadn't transported her out of the country by now? Secondly, how would she get anywhere fast? She was only sixteen, with no money, ID or modes of transport or communication. She's probably only manage to travel ten minutes away at the most before she was caught and dragged back, no doubted to be punished for escaping. She was stuck. The notion only brought fresh tears to her eyes and she found herself crying for most of her days.

The only human contact she had had was the quick, "food," call from the gruff men outside, who shoved a small plate through the shutter in the door. No one had entered her cell in what seemed a lifetime, but she was grateful that she could at least see and move her arms again. The raw skin had been healing, albeit slowly and she wished she could see a doctor and get something for it.

She heard the familiar call and quickly gathered the few rice balls they had given her for dinner, munching happily as she sat on the uncomforting bed. She was only just into her second one, when she heard the lock turning in the door, accompanied by the clanging of keys. She pushed her food onto the bed, reaching across to her pillow and shoving the blindfold over her eyes. She tried to keep her composure as she continued to chew the rice, but her sudden breathing and fast heartbeat wasn't fooling anybody.

"You seem awfully flustered, Rukia," came the familiar voice, followed by the sound of the door being locked behind him.

"Oh," she replied coolly between chews, "It's you."

"That's no way to greet me," he smirked, reaching into his bag and pulling out various items, "Especially since I've gathered some clean clothes for you to wear."

"You have?" she asked incredulously, looking up in the direction his voice came, placing the plate beside her once more.

"Here," he replied, walking over to her, "Hold your arms out."

Hesitantly, she held her arms out. Having learned to trust no one since being here, she only half believed him. She immediately felt something heavy placed on her arms, prompting her to grip onto whatever it was tightly, lest she drop them by accident. She sat back down, placing them by her side and picked up the first item, feeling it within her fingers. It was soft, wool maybe? She took a little while to guess it was a jumper, tracing the arms and edges of the garment before smelling it. Her brows came together in confusion, what was that smell? It was oddly familiar; as if she had come across it before, and yet is was horribly alien to her at the same time. It was mildly sweet yet spiced almost, intoxicating yet nauseating.

"It's mine," Byakuya revealed, putting her out of her misery as he continued to stand in front of her, watching her facial features change in fascination.

Rukia looked up, had he really given her his things? What was up with this guy? He'd actually taken the trouble of giving a random girl his own clothes? She stood up, unsure where to look to, reaching out to stand in front of him and thank him. She shuffled a few steps forward whilst Byakuya looked at her curiously, what the fuck was she doing? This girl's so strange. She looked confused for a second, her hand stretched out to reach for some form of contact. Why she was doing this, he would never fully understand. He reached out nonetheless to take her fragile hand and she gasped at the sudden contact. He held her hand in his for a few seconds, confused but intrigued.

"Your hands are cold," his voice quiet, hushed, as he was almost afraid of crushing her small hand in his.

"It's cold in here," she pointed out, her voice shaky as her heart thumped loudly. She was playing with fire but he seemed very different from all of the other men she had encountered and somehow, it thoroughly confused yet enthralled her. Maybe she was lonely? Perhaps she was desperate for company, pining for the laughter of her friends, the warm embrace of her loving grandfather, the comforting nuzzling of her pet rabbit, Chappy. She had never felt so lost in all of her life and she wanted an anchor, anything to have some form of stability once more. His had felt warm, inviting almost as he held it? What was this man doing? She shuffled a little further forward, keeping her other hand in front of her and stopping when she was close to his body. She could smell him now; the same scent that seemed stitched into the fabric of his clothes, and it was not until then that it occurred to her where she had smelled it first. The first time he had visited her and leant close to her body to tend to her swollen cheek, the scent had lingered around her as he cared for her. These really were his clothes, weren't they?

"You are a weird one, aren't you?" he said with a smirk as she slowly backed up, slipping her hand from his.

"Weird?" she questioned, looking up and hoping that's where his head was, "You're the weird one, giving me half of your personal wardrobe!"

"You needed clothes, and I wasn't prepared to measure you and go shopping for you," Byakuya pointed out, watching as she argued defensively with him, his smile growing wider.

"Still, you're giving your clothes to a random girl," she continued, waving her arms up and down in confusion, "What makes you think I want to wear the same clothes you've already worn?"

"They're clean," he argued, finding her argumentative persona amusing, "Besides, I haven't worn them in a long time, they're old. And you could thank me instead of arguing with me and sniffing at me oddly."

"Well, they smell strange," she replied, "You smell strange! Besides, I wanted to check if you were lying to me about them belonging to you, not that I can trust you even if you aren't lying…but…thank you…I wasn't expecting you to bring them…"

"I said I'd be back, which, I am," he pointed out, "I brought you clothes and I've let

you have free reign of your hands and eyes. You've no reason as of yet to not trust me."

"Trust you?" Rukia asked, almost crying now, "You've kidnapped me and brought me here, put me in a cold, damp cell, hit me, and fed me very little! I haven't bathed properly in god knows how long…"

"I haven't done any of those things," he pointed out, another wave of pity sweeping over him.

"Then let me go," she half-begged, her eyes stinging with fresh tears once more.

"I can't," he argued, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a fresh tissue, "Here." He grabbed her hand roughly, giving her the tissue as she gasped at his manhandling.

"All I can do is make your time here more comfortable," he concluded, moving towards the door once more. He unlocked the door before asking Renji for a chair, bringing it into the cell, and placing it down opposite the bed. He sat slowly, watching as she turned her back to him, and dabbed at her eyes with the corner of her t-shirt, "Given your character, I'm surprised that you haven't tried to find out who we are yet."

"I-I don't want to be hurt," Rukia retorted.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Byakuya replied truthfully, "But I certainly won't be happy if you take if off when I'm with you, and trust me, you don't want to anger me."

Rukia nodded, she didn't trust anything he said, and she knew better than to challenge him this time. She sunk to the bed, unsure of what to do next as she tried to look in the direction of his voice. She inhaled sharply however as she felt his hands take her arms, turning them over a few times.

"What're you doing?" she asked quickly, trying to pull her arms back against his vice grip.

"Helping," he replied flatly.

"I don't understand," Rukia replied in a slower tone.

"Just relax," he tried, reaching into the bag that he had brought the clothes in and producing a large tub, "This may sting a little."

"W-What?" Rukia stuttered quickly, trying to yank her arms back and wincing at the friction against the sore skin.

"Just trust me," he said again, "You don't have much choice at this point in time and I can always take the clothes back home with me and tie your wrists even tighter together."

Rukia sighed, he was right, she didn't have much choice, and she could only pray that he wouldn't abuse her. There was something strange about him though, and he technically had never lied or done anything bad to her as of yet, "O-Okay."

"Can you lift your arms up?" he asked, his fingers gripping the hem of her dirty t-shirt. She reluctantly lifted her arms before gasping and crossing her arms over her bare torso, almost crying out in surprise and fear as he pulled it up and over her head quickly.

"P-Please don't rape me!" she cried out, trying to cover herself up.

"I'm not going to molest you," replied honestly, "The scratchy clothes have left sores on your arms, and no doubt on the rest of your skin, they need to be treated before it gets too sore and starts bleeding."

"Y-You're not?" she asked, slowly letting her arms drop with the coaxing of his gentle yet firm hands.

"No," he replied, lightly moving her arms to her side, "I'm not interested in little girls."

"I'm not little!" Rukia immediately argued, suddenly feeling offended, "I'm sixteen! Besides, I have a boyfriend."

"Oh, wow," Byakuya mocked in a happy voice, "You have a boyfriend, you must be all grown up!"

"I am!" she protested, trying to keep her voice steady, "I'm in a happy relationship and I'm a legal woman!"

"Sure you are," he mocked with a smirk, looking over her small frame, her skin blotchy with sores and dark with dirt and sweat. He squirted a little of the cream onto the back of his hand, dabbing at the blob and rubbing it gently into the sores, prompting hisses of pain from her.

"I am," she cried out, this guy grating on her nerves, "I'm not a virgin either, I am a woman." She didn't mean to lie, but she hated being called a child and she wanted to seem as confident as possible, lest he take advantage of her innocent submissiveness.

"Sure you're not," he continued to mock; rubbing the cream into her shoulders, neck and arms.

"What're you putting on me?" she asked through her teeth as her skin stung like a bitch.

"It's a strong, dry skin and eczema cream that I purchased from a pharmacy," he replied, "It'll clear up any skin sores and cuts."

"W-Why?" she managed, her toes curling at the pain as he applied it to her wrists, "Why are you doing this?"

"It's my job," he replied, dabbing it onto the edges of the deeply cut skin and almost wincing himself at the sight, "Besides, I'm still human, and I do genuinely want to help you."

"Sure…" she replied wryly, only letting herself pull a pained expression when he gripped a little too tightly or applied the balm too near the gash.

"Unless you want me to leave and take all of these things back with me," he half-threatened in a faintly higher voice.

"No," she interjected quickly. For one, she wanted the clothes, and secondly, this was the most human interaction she'd had in god knows how long, and even though she would rather not 'play friends' with her captors, this one at least seemed decent.

"Well then, stop squirming," he ordered.

"Then don't grip so hard!" she half-yelled, fed up of the constant sting of the cream.

"You've got guts, I'll give you that," he concluded, finally letting go of her and replacing the cap on the tube, "If I was in your situation, I'd think twice before I went mouthing off to some unknown, possibly dangerous men."

"I've always been like it," Rukia admitted, gently touching her arms to check his handiwork, "Even when I was little I used to talk back to my elders."

"It can get you into a lot of trouble though," Byakuya pointed out, "Now, give me your hand."

"Please…" Rukia prompted, mocking his less than courteous language.

Byakuya sighed with a smirk, "Give me your hand please, Rukia."

Rukia froze. He had only called her by her name a few times and she had been too disorientated or shocked to make anything of it, but she realised that she couldn't ignore the weird sensation that spiked when he said her name. It certainly wasn't fear or nausea; she only felt those emotions when the other more frightening men called her by her name. Familiarity, perhaps? Was she getting used to his voice enough to associate it with kindness and caring?

"Hand…please," he replied slowly, watching in utter fascination at her almost mini-mental breakdown. There was something seriously wrong with this kid. For one, he knew she wasn't afraid of him, despite him being able to do practically anything to her without anyone to save her, and secondly, she was now frozen on the spot after he had said her name. He wasn't sure if he liked this about her, or if it succeeded in freaking him out. He had met a lot women in his life, but he had never come across one as peculiar as her. He watched her snap out of her daydream at his prompt.

"S-Sorry…" she mumbled, hanging her head low and she held out her hand.

"Right…so this is the cream," he explained, placing the cold tube in her shaking hands, "Put it on twice a day, once in the morning and again in the evening and spread it thinly as it's quite powerful."

Rukia gripped the cold plastic tube tightly as rogue tears impended, "I can't…I-I even don't know what day it is…I haven't seen daylight…I can't even remember…"

"It's okay," Byakuya comforted her as best he could. He had never sympathised with someone to quite the extent that he pitied her now and he would have been lying if he had stated that it didn't move him the in tiniest way. He sighed as he watched her pull her knees up to her chest, resting her head on her knees as she tried to calm herself, "Look, why don't I give you this."

Rukia looked up again, her headache returning as warm tears graced her cheeks. She felt as he took her hand, placing an item in it before letting go of her again, leaving her to feel it. She cheated somewhat and brought it to her chest as she slid a finger under her blindfold and looked at the item with both surprise and confusion, "A-A watch?"

"Yes," Byakuya confirmed, watching as she was able to physically look at his possession, "It's one of my spares. You're lucky I wasn't wearing my favourite one today."

"Is it really the 28th of June?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes," Byakuya replied.

"It's really been two months since I've been here," she asked, both astonished and saddened, "It feels like that's a long time, but it feels so much longer than only two months."

"Time has a way of eluding you," Byakuya mused, getting up with a scrape of the chair against the cold floor and picking up his shoulder bag.

"A-Are you leaving?" Rukia asked quickly, her heart suddenly picking up speed.

"Yes," Byakuya replied, his voice showing the slightest hint of curiosity, "I've been here a while and seen that you are adequately addressed. Is there anything more that you require from me?"

"N-No," Rukia said quietly, letting her head hang low once more.

"Are you sure?" Byakuya pressed, knowing she was trying to ask something, "I suppose I don't have anything that requires my immediate attention, after all..."

"I…er…I guess I wanted to…talk…" Rukia replied, suddenly relieved that her only form of company wasn't going to leave her to herself for several days, straight away.

"Talk?" Byakuya asked incredulously, his eyebrows lifting. She wanted to talk…to her captor?

"Yes!" Rukia half exclaimed, her voice a little more cheerful now, "It's just…I get lonely, and you've been so kind already…I just appreciate your company…"

"I see," Byakuya said with a sigh. He had wanted to go home and relax but perhaps she would answer his questions and get the information Aizen wanted if he sweet-talked her a little. It couldn't hurt, after all, and it even seemed that she was beginning to trust him a little, "Well then I'll humour you." He dropped his empty bag to the floor before sitting back down in front of her again.

"You will?" Rukia asked, perking up at the somewhat pleasant company.

"Yes," Byakuya sighed again, becoming slightly frustrated at her childishness, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well," Rukia thought, "You can't tell me who you are, can you?"

"No," Byakuya replied, was she stupid or what? Like fuck he'd reveal his true identity. If he did, he'd be given a one-way ticket to jail when this whole ordeal was over.

"Can I see what you look like?" Rukia tried, partly trying to wind him up with a smirk.

"No," he continued, folding his arms across his chest in annoyance.

"Then I'll guess what you look like!" Rukia suggested, "We can make a game of it!"

Byakuya hung his head low, this girl was way too cheerful given her current situation and god he found it irritating. He was way too old to play silly games, "Fine."

"Um, let me think," Rukia tried, putting her finger to her lips as she thought, "Do you have blonde hair?"

"What language are we speaking, Rukia?" Byakuya asked.

"Japanese," Rukia replied with a frown.

"Right," Byakuya mocked in a condescending tone, "So if I'm Japanese, what's the likelihood that I've got blonde hair."

"Well," Rukia pointed out in a matter-of-fact voice, "I didn't know that you are Japanese, plenty of Europeans learn and speak fluent Japanese, but you just confirmed it for me, thank you. Secondly, lots of Japanese dye their hair and statistics show that more and more people are intermixing and having mixed race children."

Byakuya sat slightly ashamed now that she had wiped the floor with him; she had even managed to track down his ethnicity, which suggested to her that she was still in Japan, "Okay, smarty-pants, what's your next question?"

"So I'm guessing you have black hair," she mused with a smirk at her victory, "And brown eyes too?"

"Wrong about the eyes," he replied, getting fed up with this game now.

"A wide face?" she asked.

"No," Byakuya sighed.

"Black hair, narrow face," she thought, trying to mentally picture him, "Tall or short?"

"On the tallish side."

"Thin or fat?" she laughed at his less than amused tone.

"Muscled," he pointed out.

"Oh, I say," she mocked, "Aren't you a strapping young man…"

"If I didn't know any better," Byakuya replied, looking up at her smug face, "I'd say you're taking the piss."

'Yeah, pretty much," she smirked, pleased with herself for a job well done.

"You make a fool of me," Byakuya pointed out, "Yet you seem to forget that I could do anything I want to you and nobody would hear you scream."

"But, you wouldn't," she pointed out, and even though she was a little afraid, she liked to think that he'd stick by his word.

"Wouldn't I?" he asked, a little angry that she had openly trolled him. Yet he realised that he admired her strength and almost fearless nature, although something told him it was somewhat of a front. He got up to prove his point, rushing to face her before roughly pushing her down on the bed, prompting her to cry out loudly in surprise before his hands pinned hers to the bed and he hovered over her.

Rukia struggled against him, now she was afraid. She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, thrashing against him as her eyes watered in both pain and fear. He didn't let go however, and it took a short while for her to calm down and realise that he wasn't in fact hurting or abusing her like she had expected him to, "Y-You aren't going to, a-are you?"

"No," he replied, surprised at how fragile and small she felt, and it promptly reminded him that she was only sixteen and barely on the brink of adulthood. He released her hands, only intending to put her in her place a little, if only to deter her from getting into real trouble some day, and attempted to move back to the chair.

"Wait…" she asked, her heart still thudding from her scare as she curiously lifted her hand to his face. Her hand was shaking as she gently lifted it up, her mind screaming for her to stop, but her hand had a will of its own and after this, she knew she could, on some level, trust him.

"What are you doing?" Byakuya asked quickly, his heart now mirroring hers, as her hand was inches from his face, this girl was crazy, beyond crazy in fact. She must have a death wish of some form. Her hand came into contact with his hair, following it down just past his collarbone as his brows came together in utter confusion.

"I didn't think you'd have long hair," she said with a smile, "It's longer than mine."

"Is that all you wanted to find out?" Byakuya asked as he rolled his eyes, getting ready to get back up.

"I wanted to find out what someone like you looked like," Rukia replied truthfully, sitting up as he promptly got up.

"Someone like me?" he asked curiously, sitting back in the chair.

"Yes," Rukia replied, "You're obviously a 'bad guy' as you're keeping me here against my will, and yet you refuse to hurt me when I repeatedly make fun of you. You seem to express genuine pity for me, shown by your giving me clothes and your watch, which, by the looks of it is incredibly expensive given it's Cartier. Yet you claim it's your spare."

Byakuya sat, astonished, and for the first time in his life, he had no idea how to reply. She had played him, completely and utterly, the questions, the feeling him, asking him to keep her company. Just like him, she knew this was a game, where her aim was to get out, and alive, ASAP without revealing anything they asked, and his aim was to get rid of her ASAP whilst obtaining all the information he needed from her. He had never met his match before, and he would never have imagined it would be someone like her, both very young and a girl at that. He couldn't say he wasn't moved by it and he found a kind of respect for her that he had never felt for anyone else. He had earned her trust and she had earned his respect, "What colour are your eyes?" He asked, genuinely curious as to what look she had about her, caring and kind, or strong and cocky? He partly wanted to bet on the latter.

"That would be telling," she replied, "Also, that requires a swap and I'd also see you. Seeing as you keep refusing that, I suppose you'd have to take the blindfold off me yourself." Byakuya shrugged his shoulders, as much as he'd like to find out what she fully looked like, he feared the threat of jail more than he experienced curiosity, and decided to not rise to her challenge.

"Indeed," he concluded, moving to get up for the second time, "Is that all?"

"Sure, you can leave now," Rukia waved her hand to rid herself of him, earning a small laugh from Byakuya. She smiled, realising that it was nice to hear him laugh; it was nice to have any contact, in fact. She heard him pick up his bag before walking over to the door, "Actually…could I ask for something else, please?"

"Yes," Byakuya replied, turning around and looking at her once more.

"I…er…need…you know," she tried, her face flaming up in embarrassment.

"No, I don't know," Byakuya replied, confused.

"You know…l-ladies things…" Rukia managed to say, "I've ran out of the things I was given last time…"

"Oh," Byakuya shot quickly, turning his gaze away from her as pinkness tinged his face. He'd been with a lot of women, yes, but he'd never stuck a relationship for longer than a week, and he had never been so close with a woman that he'd dealt with her during her period before. He hadn't the foggiest what to get or where to get them and he grimaced at the idea of browsing a ladies store for them. Besides, he had his modelling career to think about, he couldn't be seen buying personal women's items in a busy high-street shop now, could he? "Fine, I'll see what I can do."

"Also," Rukia tried, hoping he would be as kind as he had been before, "Could I have a new toothbrush and toothpaste and hygiene items…please? I wasn't given that much, and I was afraid to ask for basic items."

"I'll make a list, miss," he mocked with a sigh, "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you!" she replied, relieved as she heard him ascend the steps, unlock the door and exit, locking it behind him.

She took off her blindfold slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the light before inspecting the clothes with a fine toothcomb. They were nice clothes, and upon further analysis, she realised that they were all designer and no doubt expensive. They were spares? And the watch, how much money did he have if he could give such expensive things to her? She found several t-shirts, jumpers, soft relaxing trousers and a pack of new girls socks, which he must have bought himself. They were cute too, and he must have guessed that she likes such girlish things. She stood up, placing them against her body and laughing at how big the clothes were; he was quite a bit taller than her, to say the least.

She pressed her hands to her face curiously after putting the clothes back into some order on the bed, frowning as to why her face was so warm. She went to the tiny additional room that housed the toilet and sink, looking into the tiny dirty mirror above the sink. She frowned in confusion, she was furiously blushing and her heart was only just starting to calm, what was wrong with her? She shrugged; maybe she was coming down with something? A cold or a fever, perhaps? She walked back into the main room, sighing. Although she was coping well, she longed for the comforts of modern living, using an old cloth and the sink to wash wasn't all that great. Oh, to shower or bathe normally again.

She realised that she could just answer their questions truthfully and give them the little information she knew. It probably wouldn't get them far anyway, she wasn't to inherit full access to her grandfather's companies until she turned twenty-one. Nonetheless, her grandfather had taught her from a young age to never give information about herself or company information to anyone, ever. Even though it pained her, she was made of harder stuff and would respect her grandfather's teachings. Still, she had basic human needs, and she hoped that the longhaired man would bring her things she needed. At least now she wouldn't be cold at night with the thick jumpers he had given her.

xxxxxxx

"Rangiku," Byakuya asked from the back of the car as the young woman drove him back to the manor.

"Yes, sir?" she replied, glancing at him in her rear-view mirror.

"I'll be busy with the launching of my summer season clothing range over the next week," Byakuya replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a piece of paper, "So I'll entrust the care of the girl to you for the week. You'll only have to visit her once or twice during the week to check on her and entertain her for a short while, when you're not busy with your own duties."

"Sir," Rangiku addressed him as she kept her eyes on the road, "I understand your schedule is full, but Renji is far more qualified to see to her than I am. She's an important commodity and far beyond my level in this organisation."

"I want you to do it," Byakuya pressed, "She could do with another female's presence. If you are too busy to visit multiple times, I'll ask Renji to check on her once or twice. He's in Kyoto with some of our business associates right now, so you'll have to wait for him to return to ask him."

"Yes sir," she replied, internally sighing at the increased work, she already had the organisation's paperwork to sort, especially with the new deal going through, which she had been placed in charge of.

"Besides," Byakuya continued, "You're not just our chauffer, you're also one of the most trusted workers in our organisation, you're more than qualified for the job. I'm often surprised that my grandfather didn't put you in charge of taking care of her."

"You flatter me, sir," Rangiku replied.

"Also," Byakuya said, leaning forward to reach her, "I need you to get these for me and give them to her."

"Yes sir," she agreed with a nod, reaching back with one hand to take the paper from him.

"Oh," Byakuya said with a smile on his face, "And watch out, she's a gutsy one."

**A/N: So basically, Rangiku is kind of a glorified receptionist/chauffer/run-a-round that they all like/trust/hold in high esteem. Hope you liked it, I'll be uploading the next part in a weeks time!**


	4. Part 1, Point 4

**A/N: Okay, so, don't throw knives at me, I know you're not going to be impressed, but it shows Byakuya's development! The pairing is Byaruki and don't worry, his womanizing days are limited ;)**

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

**So basically, my partner got sick, then I got sick, now we're both horribly sick and we're drugged to the eyeballs with painkillers!**

**Also, my biggest fear in life is the dentist. I've been countless times and everything has been fine, yet every time I need to go, I put it off for as long as I can. Apparently fear of the dentist is quite common, and I have to go whilst I am in my hometown for the time being, and even though I worry about my teeth a lot, I still don't want to go . **

**WARNINGS: Scenes of a strong sexual nature (lime), YoruByaku (Yoruichi x Byakuya strong themes), language, adult situations!**

**I'M SORRY!**

**I don't own Bleach.**

Part: 1.4

"Care for another glass?" Byakuya asked smoothly, holding out the half empty bottle of red wine for his date as they sat in his plush apartment in downtown Osaka.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" the woman laughed as she eyed up her date, subconsciously biting her bottom lip.

"That depends," Byakuya humoured her, his gaze trailing up her slender legs as she crossed them, her long dress slipping to expose them a little.

"On what? Pray tell," she asked, watching with a sense of satisfaction as his eyes mentally undressed her.

"On what you're doing later," he replied with a killer smile, topping his date's glass up.

"I see," she smiled, suppressing a small laugh, "Well I think I've decided on what I'm going to be doing later."

"And that is…?" he asked with a smile, putting his glass on the table in front of them before turning back to her.

"Well," she replied, her voice dropping to a husky tone as she also placed her glass on the table, before shifting closer to him, "It involves you…me…and this sofa…" She leant over and whispered in his ear, her fingers already undoing the rest of his buttons as he suppressed a groan. Gods, he'd wanted this woman for ages, and now, she was all his for the taking.

"I see," he whispered, pulling her on to him so that she was straddling his lap as he sought out her lips with his. She practically ripped open the rest of his shirt, her hands immediately stroking the taunt muscles of his abdomen as his tongue easily dominated hers. His hands moved her hips to grind into him, pressing into his erection as he groaned deeply, his date matching his noises. He sat up, shrugging the rest of his shirt off before sliding the straps of her dress down, trailing hot kisses down her neck and collarbone. She moaned as his grinding hit a sensitive spot, desperate for him to tear off her dress and pleasure her. He reached his hand behind her silk dress, pulling the zipper down quickly, and letting her dress fall down to her hips, revealing her large breasts and lace underwear. He reached up again to kiss her lips, exploring her mouth once more as he expertly undid her bra with one hand, letting it slide before he threw it on the floor. His hand flew to cup her breast as he continued to kiss her, hoping to drag this out as long as possible and keep her waiting. He grinned against her mouth; finally, he'd managed to seduce her, Yoruichi Shihoin, the biggest model in Japan right now. Even when she was just starting out, only appearing as an extra in low budget magazines, and Byakuya was only seventeen, he had still fantasized about her. As she had become more popular and produced more material, his desire her for, along with millions of other men, had grown and grown. He wasn't like other men however, he was the hottest male model in the country and as such, he could fuck any number of celebrities who showed any form of interest. And now that he could finally have her, he was going to give her the best sex of her life.

She moaned loudly, grinding hard into him as he kissed around her breasts, daring him to give her what she wanted. He was teasing her, and it was delicious. She gripped onto his shoulders tightly as his tongue finally ghosted along her nipple, giving her a preview of what was to come. Byakuya fondled her other breast, it was so large compared to how small Rukia's had looked in her cute bra. His eyes snapped open as he stopped for a split second, hoping she had not noticed his sudden hesitancy. Her skin was different too, whilst Yoruichi's was a healthy bronze, Rukia's had been pale and red in patches. Yet he couldn't help but think how cute Rukia would look when her skin clears up, and he was curious to know what kind of eyes she was hiding.

"Byakuya?" Yoruichi asked, looking down to see he was suddenly deep in thought, feeling his hardness fade somewhat.

"Yes?" he looked back up at her, snapping out of his thoughts and hoping he would never experience them again.

"What's wrong?" she asked, "You've stopped all of a sudden…"

"Nothing," he said quickly, pushing the obtrusive thoughts from his mind, "Something just crossed my mind is all…"

"Is everything alright?" she asked again, hoping that he wasn't having second thoughts, though based on his reputation, that wasn't possible.

"Of course," he lied flawlessly, turning back to her and sliding his hand into her lace panties, "I was just wondering if we should go to the bedroom or in front of the fire…"

"Over there, on the rug…" she breathed, his fingers working magic on her.

He grinned as he picked her up, moving to the centre of the room and flopping down onto the rug, pulling her dress completely off before throwing it beside them. He moved to lie over her, kissing her once more as she unzipped his trousers, pushing them down and over his backside, and relieving the strain in his boxers somewhat as he managed to regain his lust. He moved to kiss her neck once more, his free hand massaging her breast once more as she whined beneath him. As he pressed his body into hers, she pressed back, but it wasn't Yoruichi who was pressing, it was Rukia. They weren't naked, but fully clothed, with Rukia reaching up and tangling her fingers in his hair, eyes wide with a small smile. He searched her face, eyes void of colour. What colour would they be? Brown? Green? Blue, perhaps? It was no longer Yoruichi who was moaning and writhing beneath him, but Rukia mocking him with wisdom beyond her years and her small laugh echoing as she had succeeded to grate on his nerves.

"Byakuya?" he heard his date ask, pulling him from his thoughts once more.

"Y-Yes?" he managed to reply, sitting up as he looked at her with undisturbed thoughts.

"Are you sure you're okay to do this?" she asked, concerned as he seemed suddenly distracted.

"I think the wine has gotten to me," he excused, sitting up whilst pulling her to her knees with him, "I apologize but I feel that I must call it a night."

"I-I understand," she replied in a dejected voice, reaching for her bra and dress. She inwardly sighed, she had wanted him for a while, who wouldn't want to sleep with Japan's hottest man? And now she could have him, he wasn't interested.

"It's not you, believe me," she said smoothly as he looked upon her crestfallen features, "I've had a long day, and I'm afraid I may have had a little too much…though I definitely have a free spot at the weekend when I have less work…if you'd like to join me for dinner again…"

"Of course," Yoruichi agreed with a smile, slightly reassured that he was still attracted to her. He had mentioned over dinner earlier that launching his new summer fashion range was tiresome, and being a model herself, she knew how taxing the job could be. She had managed to slip on her dress by this point, allowing him to zip it up after he himself had pulled his trousers and shirt back on.

He walked her to the door, apologizing once more before flashing his gorgeous smile in an attempt to cover up his temporary impotency.

"I'll see you at the weekend," he supplied, kissing her deeply before calling Rangiku and asking her to take Yoruichi home. He smiled as Rangiku brought the car around, and bid his date goodnight before watching the car speed off towards the city. He turned back to the living room, rubbing his forehead as a dull ache was beginning to form before draining the wine in his glass. He sat down on the sofa, watching the flames ravage the wood before clenching his hand. He realised in that moment that he was angrier than he had been in a long time. He had lost the woman of his dreams because of some snot-nosed brat who had managed to rub him up the wrong way and although he was certain he had another shot with Yoruichi, he had pretty much just been cock-blocked right now. He sighed as he put his glass back on the table, before sauntering to his bedroom, riddled with irritation. He had been nice to the girl, and now she was going to give him the answers he needed when he next saw her. He needed to get rid of her ASAP, before she had a chance to well and truly get under his skin.

xxxxxxx

Since obtaining the man's watch, Rukia was able to try and sort out some form of stable sleeping pattern, and although she still ended up going to bed at 2am from being wide awake; she had managed to get up earlier and earlier. She had realised one evening, as she had stared up at the ceiling, that he was invading her thoughts more and more. She had only met him twice, and he had already had quite an impact on her, enough to earn her trust. She had scoffed at this point, of course, that's what he wanted, to earn her trust so he could get answers from her, like the other man had wanted. She had also noticed that all of the men she had come across since she had met him had been nicer than the previous people she had known. It was quite possible from this that she had been 'passed to a different owner' as it were, was the nice man working for the brown-haired man with the snake-like sidekick? Were they accomplices? Rukia was far from stupid, thorough schooling and good genetics had seen to that, and although she was merely gesticulating, she was willing to bet that the nice man wasn't working under the evil man.

She had managed to get up early this morning, bushing her teeth with the tiny amount of toothpaste she had left and trying to wash herself with the ice-cold water and the cloth. From the bathroom, she hadn't heard the sound of the door unlocking, or the sound of footsteps coming from the stairs. Only when she heard a small thud did she walk out of the bathroom, dressed in only the man's lounge trousers and her bra, coming face to face with a woman.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry," the woman quickly said, turning to face the opposite way with a small blush of embarrassment.

"No, I'm sorry," Rukia cried, rushing to grab the t-shirt the man gave her as a sudden flush of nerves hit her stomach. She had seen one of them, would she be severely punished? Where was the longhaired man? "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to see you, please don't hurt me…I-I'll cover my eyes immediately…"

"What?" the woman asked, turning round and approaching the dressed girl now, "Hurt you? Why on earth would I do that?"

"The man said that if I saw him or anyone else," she replied, trembling as she stood with her back towards the woman, "H-He'd hurt me…"

"Byakuya said that?" she asked with a roll of her eyes, "He says a lot of things…he never means them though…"

"He…wouldn't hurt me then?" she asked, nerves starting to recede. Wait, she had called him something…B…Bya something.

"No," the woman laughed lightly, and Rukia realised that she liked it, an almost tinkling laugh that put her at ease, "He's more of a lover than a fighter. Also, you can turn around and look at me…I'd certainly never hurt you…or anyone for that matter."

Rukia slowly turned around, deciding to trust the woman, if she knew the man then there was a good chance she was telling the truth. She was met with a smile as she examined the woman's young face, beautifully amber coloured hair and gorgeous body, why couldn't she look like that? Rukia felt as flat as washboard and worse. She had a kind face; a mothering look almost graced her features as she regarded the young girl.

"I'm Rangiku," she replied, holding out her hand, to which Rukia hesitantly took it, fully stepping into the light to shake the woman's hand. She watched in confusion as Rangiku stared straight at her for a few long seconds, making her feel uneasy.

"I'm Rukia," she replied, looking away as she suddenly felt nervous again.

"I'm sorry, Rukia," Rangiku apologized, realising that she must have scared the poor girl a little, "It's just…you're very beautiful…with eyes I've never seen before…"

"I'm not as beautiful as you," Rukia pointed out with a small blush, feeling a little happier than she had in a long time, "I'm so very flat, and I have no figure to speak of."

"But you do!" Rangiku explained, her hands jumping to the girl's slender waist, causing the girl to squeal in surprise, "I can feel here that you have a tiny waist and nice sized hips. You may not have much on top, but that's what padded bras are for!"

"T-Thank you," she replied with a smile as the woman removed her hands and moved to sit on the chair.

"Where'd you get those clothes from anyway, they look familiar," Rangiku asked, racking her brain as to where she had seen them before.

"The man gave them to me," she replied pulling the shirt out to show how baggy it was.

"Byakuya did?" Rangiku asked, astounded, "How'd you get them off him? He hardly ever gives his personal possessions to anyone, not even to girlfriends or a dates."

"Yes," Rukia replied…that name again…"I asked for some new clothes and he brought these."

"Did he have a look of disdain when he gave them to you?" Rangiku asked, thoroughly amused that she had managed to get Byakuya to act unselfishly.

"I don't know," she replied truthfully, moving to sit on her bed opposite the chair, just like she had done with the man, "I've never seen him."

'Have you been walking around with your eyes closed then?" Rangiku asked, dumbfounded. Seeing as she had more pressing matters to address recently, Rangiku hadn't had chance to read Rukia's file, only knowing that she was being held temporarily for Aizen and she was most likely to be used as a ransom. She only knew the girl's name because she had asked Byakuya that morning, before she went to visit her.

"I've been wearing a blindfold since I've been in captivity," Rukia revealed, sighing as she looked at the floor, "My wrists were bound too, and it's only since B-Byaku…ya…undid them that I've been able to take this off and see. He told me that if I saw him or anyone else that he'd hurt me, so I put it back on when I hear the door open. I didn't hear it this time, so I wasn't prepared…"

" I see," Rangiku replied with a grimace as Rukia held out her wrists to show the woman the damage caused by the bonds, and even though she was applying cream regularly, they had only just started to heal, "But even if you did see him…he'd never hurt you…he's not that sort of man…"

"I didn't think he was," Rukia agreed, looking down to hide a slight blush, even though Rangiku saw it, "He's only ever been kind to me and given me what I've asked of him…where is he today, anway…?"

"He's actually quite a busy man," Rangiku replied, "When he's not running around after you, he has a full schedule."

"Oh," Rukia said, suddenly feeling guilty for asking so much from him, "Please apologize to him for me, since I've ran him around too much."

"He doesn't mind," Rangiku, teased with a smile, "He actually seems to enjoy spending time with you. He was smiling all the way back from visiting you."

"Really?" Rukia asked, perking up a bit as her pink glow returned.

"Yep," Rangiku continued with a smile, reaching down to pick up one of the bags she had brought in.

"He's not old…is he?" Rukia asked hesitantly, trying to find out more about him, slightly worried that he was much older than her.

"Not at all," Rangiku replied, surprised at Rukia's curiosity. What had Byakuya done to her to get her so curious about him? Not to mention she was blushing profusely, if Rangiku didn't know any better, she would have thought Rukia had a small crush on Byakuya. She shook her head, they barely knew each other and haven't even seen each other properly, "Well, he's older than you, but he's not old, as it were, he's a young adult. He's handsome too…"

"Really?" the young girl half exclaimed, why did this make her feel happy?

"Oh yes," Rangiku said with a dreamy sigh, "There isn't a woman alive who wouldn't want to sleep with him."

Rukia looked down at the floor in embarrassment, he must be really something, "And yourself? Have you…"

"Heavens, no!" Rangiku assured her with a wave of her wrist, "He might be handsome, but I don't like his type. Besides, I already have someone. What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"I-I told Byakuya I do," she replied, using his name comfortably for the first time, "There's this boy I like, in my school, a guy called Ichigo. We went to the cinema a while ago and it was fun, but nothing really happened and now I'm not sure where we stand…"

"Relationships can be difficult," Rangiku agreed, "But I brought you some things to cheer you up! Byakuya gave me a list of things to get you…but since I like shopping, I kind of went overboard and got you lots of things!"

"Really?" Rukia asked, lifting her head and smiling in the small excitement she could muster.

"Yeah," Rangiku replied, showing her the bag that she had picked up earlier, "I got you some ladies items, but I wasn't sure what you use, so I got a huge selection."

"Wow, thank you," Rukia replied, looking into the full bag as Rangiku passed it to her.

"I've also gotten you various hair care products, body products and tooth paste and general hygiene items," she replied, indicating to the many bags next to her, "I've also bought you a load of new panties and things, just in case you haven't had access to any washing machines. Oh, and I bought you some candy, snacks and magazines…and some novels…I can image you've been bored out of your mind by now…"

Rukia was speechless as Rangiku pulled several things out of bags, lifting them up for inspection, "T-Thank you…"

"It's okay," Rangiku smiled with a wink, "I wasn't sure what novels you like to read, if you do read, that is. There was a sale on at the bookstore for romance novels, so I got a couple. If it's not your thing, then I'll have them!"

"O-okay…" Rukia replied, never having picked one up in her life, "It'll be fine."

"If it's not," Rangiku said, "Give them to Byakuya to pass on to me."

"I will, thank you," Rukia getting up as Rangiku looked unsure of what to do next.

"I'm sorry to leave so soon," Rangiku concluded, mindful of the time and her next appointment, "I've got some important things that I can't ignore."

"It's okay," Rukia said quickly, grateful for the woman's kindness, "Thank you, so very much."

"It's been a pleasure," Rangiku replied, heading towards the door and unlocking it, "Oh, and don't let Byakuya push you around too much, okay? He can be a bit of an ass sometimes; so don't take things personally if he gets mad. Be sure to put him in his place, and after meeting you, I have no worries that you can dish it back to him. Also, he has a weakness for pretty girls, so you can easily get him to do what you want! I hope to see you again soon!"

Rukia nodded as she watched Rangiku leave, thoroughly awestruck by her vivaciousness and kind attitude. She smiled to herself as she looked through her spoils, already deciding how to annoy Byakuya.

xxxxxxx

Byakuya gave one of his signature smiles as several flashes boomed in front of him, naturally outshining the other models in the room.

"Alright," one of the photographers called above the noise, "Miss Shihoin, we need you for this one." Byakuya watched as Yoruichi walked on set before stopping next to him, modelling the summer range he was helping to launch. The designer Byakuya had worked with had insisted on creating a female line to accompany the male, and looking at how the clothes accentuated her curves, he was glad he agreed. He felt her hand move to his chest as she posed sexily against him, prompting more camera flashes. They moved into a different position thereafter, Byakuya moved to cup her chin, lifting her face up close to his as they stood side-ways on. Girls will be swooning all over Japan as soon as this photo-shoot is released.

"That's a wrap," the director called after a multitude of poses, "Fantastic job, guys."

Byakuya sighed in relief as the bright lights were turned off and the photographers began to return to their stations. He'd had a long day, and even though he was a natural at this job, it was still tiring.

"Byakuya," Yoruichi addressed him, walking with him to his private dressing room, "I was wondering if you have any plans this Saturday? We could always have dinner again…"

"Sure," Byakuya smirked, looking her up and down, "I suppose I could always have dinner with you again…"

"I'll see you at the weekend, then," she replied, dropping her voice down to a husky whisper before walking back to her own room.

Byakuya smirked, pleased that he was finally going to get laid, as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, reading the text from Matsumoto.

_Sir,_

_Just visited your little girlfriend, she was pleased that I visited her. She seems very keen on you, maybe you have yourself another fan…you should go and see her sometime…_

_Rangiku_

He groaned, having been so caught up in Yoruichi's advances, he had forgotten that he had to go and check on the girl at the weekend. He'd have to juggle things around but he could check on her in the morning and then spend the evening with his date. He automatically blushed the tiniest amount at her comment, little girlfriend? Hardly, all she did was irritate him on purpose to get a kick out of it, besides, she's just a brat who needs to be chucked back at Aizen.

As he walked through to his room however, he couldn't shake an uneasy feeling. He needed to get her out of the picture, but could he easily give her back to a man who wasn't afraid to hurt her? Aizen had already caused physical damage to her, and even though she could defend her corner, he could break her within seconds if he wanted. He shook his head as he changed into casual clothing, perhaps it was a good thing that she was keen on him, at least he could get information, and she wouldn't need to go directly back to Aizen.

He sighed as he gathered his things, remembering to reprimand his overly suggestive and insubordinate colleague.

* * *

**Again, don't kill me…or do kill me…I won't have to go to the dentist that way…but Byakuya ended up thinking about Rukia anyway ;)**

**Much more Byaruki orientated fluff/development next time! And the next chapter will be the last bit of part 1! **


	5. Part 1, Point 5

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! This is the last instalment of this part! **

**WARNINGS: Language (swearing, so much use of the word 'fuck'), Byaruki fluffiness, angst, OOC (it's an AU so I guess OOC is acceptable).**

**I do not own Bleach.**

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Part: 1.5

Part Finale

"You've got to be kidding me," Rukia sighed as she started the second book of the romance trilogy that Rangiku had supplied to her. She hadn't even started on the other two long running series that were stacked by her bed and she was finding it hard to cope. The women just seemed whiny, fully dependent on the dashing, charming men and completely stupid through and through. The magazines were no better, and although some articles updated her on news of the outside world, most still featured the obligatory hair and makeup advertisements on every other page and the heavily photo-shopped women who modelled such products. Still, she had blushed profusely but continued to read through the sex scenes in the books, both fascinated and slightly freaked out by some of the things written. Being a complete and utter virgin, she knew very little about sex, other than what she had learned in school, and found such books as a rather bizarre learning experience.

The sudden noise of the lock turning made her jump for second, however she soon smirked as she thought of teasing Byakuya relentlessly. She kept her eyes on her book, trying and failing to read it as she grinned widely, listening to Byakuya's footsteps down the stairs.

"You know what I really hate about these books that Rangiku gave me?" she asked, keeping her gaze upwards as she held the book over her face, seeing his tall frame for the first time in her peripheral, "The fact that all these women are so annoying."

Byakuya said nothing, his breath short as he watched her openly read whilst he had entered the room. She had made no effort to blindfold herself, despite his warnings, and something told him she had no desire to cover her eyes either. What the fuck was she doing?

"All they do is sit around and wait for the man to sweep them off their feet and run away with them," she continued with a smirk, staring at the page as it took all her will power to not turn her head, "I mean, has there ever been a romance novel where the girl takes the initiative and saves herself or actively sweeps the man off his feet? Probably not…and if there is, I'd like to read it!" Byakuya's brows pulled together in confusion. He cared little for such trivial literature and cared even less that she was explaining it to him, yet he was unable to do anything other than stand and listen, a sense of uneasiness gripping him, what was she planning now? "It's like these magazines I've been reading."

Magazines, what magazines? Matsumoto must have given them to her, damn woman. "Every other page features some blonde-haired bimbo model who starves herself and wears a shit-ton of make-up in order to sell herself and the product. I mean they're all photo-shopped to hell and back!" She didn't let him get a word in edgeways as she sat up, putting the book down and picking up the open magazine and the end of the bed and looking at it, moving to sit on the edge of the bed facing him. She flicked through it as she continued, "For example, take this Yoruichi Shihoin girl who is advertising foundation. She is clearly photo-shopped as her boobs are too big for her body, her skin is perfect, and she's got matchstick legs and a tiny waist. She's obviously had her teeth whitened a kajillion times and she's probably stupid as hell. I bet she can hardly add maths together or read a book from cover to cover. Oh, and take this picture of her with this male model, this Byakuya guy, who is also really faked. He's good looking, I'll admit, but he's so caked with foundation it's sickening, and the smirk, trying to come off all sexy, but he's failing miserably, I mean who's he kidding anyway? Not me, that's for sure."

Byakuya stood astounded, both highly amused and feeling the pre-mortification for her. He folded his arms across his chest; just waiting for her to look up…oh the irony…she had really fucking put her foot in it with this one.

"It's funny, he has the same name as you do," she concluded, giving the page a final look, "What's your opinion on models, Byakuya? Fake or stupidly fake?"

She steeled her nerves as she grinned, letting the magazine drop to her knees as she looked up at the man who had been taking care of her for over a month now. Looking directly up into his face, it barely took her a few seconds to take in his features, and in the split second after, she could have sworn she felt her heart stop.

Fuck

Fuck

Fuck

Her face paled as a horrible sense of fear swept over her, a cold sweat forming as she looked him and down. He had his arms crossed and a none-too-amused look on his face as he looked at her. She never took her eyes off him as her shaking hands picked up the magazine from her lap, her hands threatening to drop it at any moment. She tore her eyes away from the man in front of her, looking at the magazine page once more and then back at him again, dropping the magazine to the floor.

Byakuya watched, hiding amusement as her eyes widened and looked at him in mortification, he could have sworn he could hear her heartbeat from where he was, "I don't know…I think my opinion on fake, unintelligent models may be biased."

Rukia finally tore her eyes away from the handsome man again, turning so her back faced him and she curled up in a small ball on the bed. She was dead, literally. He had been right; her adventurous, fearless attitude will be the death of her. She immediately felt hot tears down her face; she just prayed they killed her humanely, rather than torturing and sexually abusing her before they brutally hacked her up. She wanted to die, just crawl up into a hole and die quickly. How could she have been so stupid? Always look at who he is before you unknowingly bitch about him. To be fair, she wasn't to know that her captor was also Japan's most famous male model, wait, does that mean he's secretly Yakuza or in the mafia? Well, it doesn't matter; she was dead, well and truly.

"Well," Byakuya said, walking towards her slowly, "You've well and truly put your foot in it, haven't you?" He stood opposite her bed, listening as she cried into herself. He wasn't angry, just rather amused. He'd dealt with a lot of criticism and threats in both his modelling career and his career in the gang, and learnt to handle pretty much anything. He sighed, she had given into curiosity, and it had killed the cat, after all, "I said that if you saw me, you'd be punished. Moreover, you've not only bitched about me, but learnt my name before you had your revelation and bitched about a good friend of mine."

Rukia stiffened, here it comes…how would he do it? A gun? Suffocation? Hanging? Pills? She practically cried out when he reached down and took her hand, his grasp as gentle as ever. She shook violently as fear, nerves and memories overrode her senses, what would happen to her grandfather? Her rabbit? Her school friends? Ichigo? She had her whole life to live and it was being cut short, all because she had bitten the hand that fed her and she couldn't keep her goddamn mouth shut.

He suddenly felt horribly sorry for her again as she shook with fear and cried loudly, "So I guess I should punish you…any last words?" Rukia braced herself for the inevitable, her hand still firmly in his.

Byakuya smiled as he held her wrist, letting her hand flop as he lightly tapped his fingers against the back of it, giving her the lightest spank he could ever give her, "Alright, you've been punished." He let go of her hand, picking up the magazine and sitting down in the chair as he looked through the pictures of himself and Yoruichi.

Rukia's eyes shot open, was this some kind of sick joke? He tapped her on the hand, and that's it? No, there must be something else; perhaps he was keeping her waiting to fuck with her.

"She's not stupid, you know," Byakuya informed her, laughing a little at her previous comments, "And I'm not stupid. But the handsome comment was appreciated, thank you."

She flinched as he laughed softly. Sick fuck, he was toying with her. All this time, all the nice gifts…he had wanted her to trust him, and she had fallen for the whole charade. And now he was going to murder her and sell her remains back to her family for money. Her mind went overboard as she continued to cry loudly, her imagination conjuring up a billion and one scenarios of what he would do to her.

"Okay, Rukia," he said lightly, trying to calm her down. What did she think he was going to do to her, kill her? "Now you're just being melodramatic."

"J-j-j-just-t-t do i-it-t," she finally managed, her teeth chattering from the shock and horrible state she had wound herself up into.

"Just do what?" he asked, suddenly serious and he threw the magazine down, the sudden noise making her jump with a fresh stream of tears.

"P-p-please, j-just-t d-do it n-nicely..." she begged.

"Rukia," he said gently, kneeling on the floor next to her bed and placing a hand on her waist, causing her to practically scream in surprise and fear, "I'm not going to really punish you. What you're putting yourself through is punishment enough! Though maybe this'll teach you to listen to instruction." She continued to cry, still unconvinced that he wasn't going to chop her into pieces, "Rukia, please stop crying. Let me look at your face…please?" She didn't move however, only moving into a ball further and crying out in surprise when he easily flipped her to face him. His fingers sought out her chin, bringing it up, firmly but gently to meet his eye level, "Look at me." He asked, again sitting for a while as she finally looked up at him, showing him a timid side that he had never seen in her before, "Did you honestly think I was going to hurt you? I thought you knew me better than that."

"I-I-I th-thought you w-were g-g-going to k-kill me," she replied, meeting his gaze as she looked up directly at him, "O-or tort-t-ture me, o-or r-ra…"

"I could never live with myself if I allowed these things to happen to you," he replied truthfully, "I've never, killed, tortured or sexually abused anyone in my life, and I don't plan on starting any time soon. Besides, you're way to pretty to murder…"

"R-Really?" she asked, still hyperventilating from the shock as a tiny blush crept over her.

"Absolutely," he said, looking down into her utterly beautiful eyes, "You shouldn't let tears stain and blotch your face, Rukia."

She nodded slowly, watching as he got up, before walking over to his coat that he had draped over the chair and rummaging through one of his pockets. He pulled out something before walking back to her, squatting by her bed as he looked at her again, "Here. Open up." He pointed something small and round at her lips, watching as she looked at him hesitantly.

"A-Are you g-going to d-drug me?" she asked, suddenly nervous again.

"For god's sake," Byakuya sighed in slight frustration, "I'm not going to drug you, or rape you, or torture and kill you or do anything generic of a 'bad guy', okay? Just trust me."

"O-okay," she replied after a few hesitant moments, slowly opening her mouth and hitting a sudden sweetness as he placed it on her tongue, "Candy?"

"What did you think it was?" he asked, moving back to the chair now.

"D-Drugs," she replied, starting to feel a little silly now, "Peppermint?"

"Yes," he replied, pulling the chair close to the bed as she shakily sat up, "It'll help your blood sugar and help you calm down."

"T-Thank you," she replied, pushing the candy into one of her cheeks as she took a deep breath to steady herself, "I…I didn't m-mean what I s-said…about you being stupid…and fake…or that girl…"

"I know," he replied with a laugh.

"I'm so sorry," she replied, brining one hand to her face and soothing her forehead slowly, "I got carried away and just wanted to tease you a little."

"I know," he continued with a nod.

"I'm so, so sorry," she continued, starting to hyperventilate again as she looked down into her lap, her speech becoming faster and faster, "I didn't mean it. H-How about this, how about you leave, knock on the door, let me get my blindfold and put it on, and then come back in? We can just pretend this never happened! I have no idea who you are and we'll just keep it to how it usually is! That can work right? I mean, it'll be cool, we'll just continue how we are going and having this banter thing and…."

"Could you just shush, for one second, please," he replied with a smile, placing his index finger on her lips to shush her, prompting golden silence and a pink flush to her cheeks, "Look, the damage has been done. And as long as you don't ruin my career when we release you by letting slip my name, we're all good…okay?"

"I promise," she half-whispered truthfully against his finger.

"Good," he replied, taking the time to study her full face now, looking at her tear stained eyes and lashes, "Now tell me. Where did you come across such beautiful eyes?"

She blushed as he removed his finger, he was the most beautiful man in Japan, as voted by millions of girls, and here he was, calling her beautiful, "My m-mother."

"I see," he replied, recalling how the file had stated how her parents died in a car crash when she was young.

"My sister had them too," she replied, looking up at him.

"Your sister?" Byakuya asked, surprised, as she had not been mentioned in the file.

"Hisana," Rukia grimaced, "She was older than me, and I remember being very close to her. We got on really well…from what I can remember, anyway."

"I see," Byakuya continued, "Was she also involved in the accident?"

Rukia nodded, no longer surprised that he knew everything about her, it seemed to be his job, after all, "Wait, if you're a model, why are you doing things like kidnapping girls and holding them in basements?"

"Ah," Byakuya replied, unsure how to phrase it, "If you do end up giving my name into the police, I will send someone after you, you can trust me on that one."

"I won't, I promise!" she enforced.

"Well," he began to explain with a smile, "I have my modelling career under the name Byakuya Kurogawa, and in my other career, my name is Byakuya Kuchiki."

"The Kuchiki gang?" Rukia asked, holding her hands to her mouth as fear gripped her again. She had heard of this particular strain of the Yakuza, and although they weren't one of the worst branches, they weren't people you'd want to get tangled up in.

"Yes," he continued, seeing the fear on her face once more, "We didn't kidnap you however. We're…babysitting…"

"Babysitting?" she asked, confused.

"Yes," Byakuya replied, thinking of how to make this sound as 'good' as possible, "Did you ever see the guy with slicked back brown hair, sometimes wears big glasses?"

"Oh," Rukia exclaimed, wracking her brains her answers, "You mean the guy with the snake-like side-kick thing?"

"Yes," he said with a light voice, glad they were working from the same page, "He kidnapped you."

"Why?" she asked, her hands falling to grip her knees.

"Now that, I can't tell you," he replied, "But long story short, while we might be an illegal organisation, we don't go kidnapping children, nor do we have anything to do with women trafficking or the sort."

"Well, why can't you tell me?" she asked.

"We can't go giving you all our information now, can we?" he replied.

"Whom am I going to tell?" she challenged, raising her eyebrows and shrugging her shoulders.

"The police," Byakuya pointed out, "When we release you."

"I promised I wouldn't drop your name," she retorted.

"Still, you'll be questioned to hell and back when you're released back to your family," he concluded, "So, we can't tell you. Though, I have some questions for you."

"What questions?" she asked sceptically, his comments putting her on guard a little.

"Just some standard questions," he replied coolly.

"O-okay," she replied, continuing to study his features as he thought for a short while, was he really that photo-shopped? She hadn't imagined him to be this handsome in real life.

"Right, so, what do you know of your grandfather's business?" he replied, trying to put everything as gently as possible.

"What?" she asked, confused and slightly shaken at his question.

"Your grandfather," Byakuya continued, "He owns a lot of stocks and shares and god knows what, right? What do you know of them?"

Rukia looked down into her lap again, realising that these were same sort of questions the previous man had asked her. It hit her then, that this whole 'being kind thing' of Byakuya's wasn't because he pitied her or because he actually liked her as a person, no, instead, he just wanted money…despite being rich as fuck. She felt tears tickling her throat as a sense of disappointment and anger creep over her, she was angry at him for tricking her, but she war far more annoyed at herself for trusting him. He was fake through and through.

"I don't know anything," she said through gritted teeth as she tried to steel her nerves, keeping her head down as she got up from the bed, stretching her legs as she walked around a little.

"I know you don't want to tell me," he tried to calm her with a soothing voice, "But it's in your best interests that you do."

"Is that what this is all about? Money?" she asked, her voice rising as she addressed him harshly, "You're already more than rich."

"It's not for me," he pointed out, "It's for the other man."

"So all this time…" she half-yelled, pacing back and forth as she was unable to hold back the months of frustration and fear, "All of this…this…charade…has been to get me to talk, so you can screw my grandfather over and get his money? All the sweet-talking and being nice to me, the lying to me, has been to get me to talk? You asked me to trust you, and now that I do, you ask me this…I was stupid for trusting you…"

"Rukia…" he tried, standing up and walking a short distance from her as she paced back and forth furiously. He sighed, the familiar feel of guilt filling him.

"No," she snapped, looking up at him through hate-filled eyes, "Don't try and talk your way out this…why don't you just do what that man did? Beat me until I tell you?"

"I would never…" he tried, grimacing at her mental breakdown.

"Look, just…whatever," she cut him off, "I'll tell you the same thing that I told the other man. I don't know anything, and I won't have access to anything until I'm twenty-one. And just for you, I'll tell you this…the little I do know, I'll never tell you."

"Rukia…" he persisted, her voice becoming sterner as he tried to get through to her.

"Stop saying my name," she yelled now, tears streaming down her exasperated features, "You've already shown me what you're really like, and I'll never let you or that despicable man near any of my grandfather's information…"

Byakuya wanted to slap her, she was being stupid, and actions like this will get her murdered, particularly when they give her back to Aizen, "Listen to me, girl…" He walked over to her, her grabbing her roughly by the shoulder, and using his height to his advantage as he then took hold of her wrist, pulling her sharply to him, earning a loud cry, "Aizen won't hesitate to hurt you. He will get his men to abuse you, rape you, and torture you until you give him everything you know. You either tell me what you know, or we will have to send you back to him sooner or later…"

"So do it," she yelled, challenging him as she looked up into his grey eyes.

"I could never live with myself if I let him do those things to you," he told her, ignoring the niggling feeling that he was revealing his protective feelings to her, "I want nothing more than to give you back to your family…"

"Liar," she cried out, struggling as he took hold of her other wrist, pulling her directly opposite to him. She refused to let herself trust him again, "Why do you care?"

"Because," he tried to explain, his face flushing a little, "I like you."

"W-What?" he stopped pulling away for a second, caught off guard.

"As a person," he tried to explain, hoping he hadn't given her the wrong idea, "You're a good person, and it would a shame someone as young as yourself to suffer such atrocities at the hands of a depraved human…"

"Lies!" she repeated, wriggling as he tired to pull her closer to him.

"Don't you dare make me have to give you back to him, Rukia," he threatened, "Don't you dare." He used his bigger frame to pull her quickly to him, grabbing her close to him as he embraced her. He tried to hold her as she thrashed against him, hitting him with her fists as she screamed into his chest, "Don't you dare…" he repeated. It took a few minutes, but after some time, she was too exhausted to continue to resist, instead using the intimate form of contact as relief for months of loneliness. He smiled as her arms wrapped around him and she cried into him, letting out months of built up emotions. He sighed; he hadn't been lying. He would rather give her back to her family in person this very second, and a part of him had already even readied himself for the consequences of those actions. She didn't deserve this, and he realised that even though he had been angry with her for all the mocking and unknowing cock blocking she had done, he couldn't stay mad. It was more than just getting information and getting rid of her, he owed her a decent life whilst she was his captive and he wanted to see her smiling, not scarlet with tears.

He hugged her small body to his frame, she was only sixteen, after all, and he greatly admired her resilience and courage. Despite this however, he made a note to get her more snacks and food, he was worried she was going to snap as he hugged her, she was that skinny, "Come on." He said lightly as he moved to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder, prompting a gasp before he sat down on the bed, sitting her sideways on his lap. "I'm sorry you're in this situation, I really am…and I just wanted to make it easier for you. And if that means getting what that man needs from you, so that he doesn't get his hands on you again, I'll do it."

"I-I...I'd rather you get information from me…than him," she sniffled against his chest, her face a permanent crimson colour from her tears and her embarrassment.

"And why is that?" he teased, keeping his arms around her as she slowly looked up at him, her face showing her awkwardness.

"I…I kinda l-like you too," she managed, looking straight back down as she couldn't look into his eyes.

"I see," he chucked, "I thought you hated me earlier…"

"I do!" she exclaimed, moving from his chest to face him, "But…sometimes I like you…"

"Conflicting feelings," he summed up, noting for the first time the sweet scent radiating from her, "You smell nice today…"

"I er…" she replied, looking away from him, "I've been using this stuff Rangiku gave me…"

"It's nice," he said truthfully, his heart pounding fast as he was unable to look away from her blushing profile, what was wrong with him? Why was he saying all these things? "Y-You're never going to tell me, are you?"

"Never," she replied. She had made a promise, and this was one she would never break.

"You do make me worry," he sighed.

"You're…" she tried, unable to look at him as her face flushed again.

"I'm…?" he prompted, looking at her expectantly.

"You're…n-not that fake…" she tried, realising that she was confusing him.

"T-Thanks…?" he asked, unsure whether to take it as a compliment or an insult.

"W-What I mean is," she tried, keeping her gaze away from him, "I-In real life, you look…nice…"

"Well, thank you," he smiled, laughing to himself over her reddening cheeks, "I'm glad I have your approval…"

"Yeah, well I…"

"Hang on," he cut her off, feeling a vibrating in his pocket. He shuffled her around his lap managing to pull his phone from his pocket, flipping it open and answering it.

Rukia couldn't help but put her ear next the other side on the phone, recognising a woman's voice on the other end. She pulled away at this point, a strange feeling hitting her like a brick wall as she watched him talk to her.

"Is it really that time already?" he exclaimed, looking down at his watch quickly. There was a high-pitched reply though the phone, was this woman mad at him? "I'm sorry, I know. I lost track of time…look…I'll meet you now, usual place?" Rukia's brows came together in confusion, was it his girlfriend? "Sure, see you soon."

"Y-Your girlfriend?" she asked quickly as she looked away again.

"No," he replied truthfully, noticing with curiosity that she suddenly started acting standoffish.

"A date?" she shot, why was she feeling angry all of a sudden?

"Yes," he replied slowly, "Rukia? Is something wrong?"

"Not at all," she concluded, jumping off his knee and busying herself with her piles of books and snacks.

"Sure…" he said slowly, unconvinced. He got up and watched as she furiously hurried around, sorting through the things Rangiku had given her, "I'm going to have to go then. Is there anything else you want, or need?"

"No," she lied, despite wanting to ask him for a quilt for the bed, rather than the small blanket she had been given, she was still cold at night.

"Rukia, are you sure…?

"You have a date to attend," Rukia reminded him curtly, trying to keep calm, as she wanted him to leave as soon as possible.

"Okay…" he replied, slightly put out by her sudden change in attitude, was it because he had a date?

Rukia listened as he headed up the stairs, unlocking the door before shutting it behind him, and locking it again. She moved to the bed, flopping down heavily, and holding her head in her hands as she stared at the floor, what was wrong with her? She hardly knew the guy, and hates models to boot, yet she was acting weird because he had a date…was she ill? She lay back on the bed; slowly coming to the realisation as to what the sudden rush of emotion had been…jealousy, much to her confusion and chagrin. Even though she had wanted nothing more than to see him gone not two minutes before, she sighed, wanting him to turn around and come back to her.

xxxxxxx

"Why don't you come back to mine?" Byakuya whispered huskily in her ear as they walked back to his car.

"I wish I could," she replied, disappointed that he had been late. She was running on a schedule, and since she had to catch a flight the next day, she had to be up early. If he had gotten there on time, they could have fit sex in before she left for her place, but something had kept him. There was always next time; she knew he was more than interested, "Early start…"

"Shame…" he lied flawlessly, having successfully called her bluff, grateful that she wouldn't be disturbing his thoughts. Someone else was already doing that; again. "I'll drive you home."

"Thank you," she said, kissing him on the cheek quickly before hopping into the car as he opened the door for her.

The drive back was quick and easy, luckily, and though he feigned disappointment, he was intensely relieved. He hadn't been able to shake off the guilt and confusion over Rukia's actions. She had been fine until Yoruichi had called him, blushing and smiling, as usual. But then, she had become standoffish; asking him question after question and becoming increasingly flustered at him having a date…was she jealous? Why would she be? He shook his head, concentrating on driving as he pulled into his date's driveway, giving her a small kiss before watching her walk to her door.

Wanting nothing more than to sleep, he sped home, getting there in record time. Throwing his keys on the sofa and kicking off his shoes, he undressed lazily, dumping his clothes onto an armchair haphazardly before crawling into bed, wanting to get the confusing girl out of his thoughts as his headache pounded away.

xxxxxxx

He has laughing, though he knew not why. He reached forward, taking hold of the outstretched hand before him, unhesitant and confident. He allowed the outlined figure as it pulled him through the changing scenes, an autumn festival one-minute and an apartment the next, each place blending into the next. The hand felt small within his, and the harder he gripped, the more he feared he would crush it, but it never yielded, only pulled him harder.

"What are we running from?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the outline.

"Reality," the voice replied.

It was a familiar voice, gentle yet firm, mischievous yet sincere.

"Come with me…" the voice half-asked, half-commanded, giving him a harsh tug as the figure turned around to face him. The expressive violet eyes of a small girl met his and her lips pulled up into a smile as he stared down at her incredulously.

"Come with me…" the girl whispered.

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**A/N: They totally like each other…there's definite chemistry there and sexual tension to follow ;) So starting the next part! It will contain a much more advanced Byaruki relationship ^_^**


	6. Part 2, Point 1

**A/N: ****Part 2! Serious Byaruki to follow in the next few chapters. **

**WARNINGS: Language.**

**I don't own Bleach.**

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Part 2:1

Every week thereafter, Byakuya tried to see his ward once a week, and as the months rolled by, conversation has become more fluid between them. Rukia had practically become dependent on his visits, even looking forward to the interaction every Saturday, yet she remained coolly aloof towards him for the most part, lest he actually see the girlish, dependent side. Rangiku also popped in every couple of weeks with fresh deliveries of supplies for her and she had grown used to the woman bursting in rapidly and throwing items at her before leaving just as quickly. She soon realised just how busy Byakuya was, and often felt the effects of loneliness when he could not see her, but he always made an effort to entertain her when he did show up. Of course, he had continued to try and prize the sacred information from her, only failing each time as she brushed off his questions and queries.

Although Rukia couldn't see it, the summer leaves had turned golden and red during the autumn, and her watch told her that it was now well into September, and she had heard nothing from the man who had originally abducted her. Though for this, she was grateful, and indeed she hoped she would never have to see that man again, though in her heart of hearts she sincerely doubted that she could stay as she is. She also hadn't had any news from the outside world, and had no clue if the police, her grandfather or investigators were even the tiniest bit closer to finding and rescuing her than they were before. The only stable thing in her life was Byakuya's visits, and even they were sometimes cancelled or put off through his busy modelling career. Rukia still could barely come to grips with his model alter ego every time he came to visit her, and still found it odd that after all this time, Byakuya Kurogawa was also Byakuya Kuchiki, heir to a notorious mafia gang. Still, she knew that he tried his best to put her at ease during his visits, and the pair had also gotten into the habit of playing games when he came to visit her. It had started as a way to pass the time, and Byakuya had felt that such activities would help her open up to him as they became closer, and allow him to get the precious information…but after a while, it had become a pleasant and even pleasurable activity in its own right. Simple western card games of 'Snap,' and 'Fish,' had turned into full-out chess and draughts games as the weeks rolled on. Later, Byakuya found himself bringing much bigger Japanese board games to play with the young girl, and it wasn't until now that he met his match at his best game.

Although it was now September, Osaka was still experiencing warm temperatures and Byakuya decided to model some of his summer range clothes as he went to visit Rukia one Saturday. He threw his large bag over his shoulder as he locked his car and made his way to the warehouse, greeting several employees on the way and opening the basement door slowly, allowing Rukia to hear his arrival and make sure she was decent.

"Took you long enough," he heard her greet him as he locked the door behind himself, heading down the steps to see her patiently sitting on the bed, "You never showed up last week, and that cocky-sounding red-haired pineapple man had to tend to me."

"Renji tended to you appropriately," he replied, sitting down on the chair opposite her bed, unfazed. He had grown used to her comments and demands, though he knew most of it was for teasing and trolling purposes.

"His attitude sucks," Rukia pointed out as she watched her handsome captor sit down opposite her, as is routine, and her heart fluttered slightly.

"Your attitude sucks," he pointed out, reaching into his large duffle bag and slowly pulling out an item that was almost as big as he was. "Here, I got you this…you've been asking for it for long enough!"

She gasped a little as a very large and heavy cloth type item was thrown at her, as she fell backwards onto the bed as it enveloped her easily. She lifted the segment on top of her upwards to get a better glimpse of it, realising that it was in fact the quilt she had been asking for. She let it deflate back onto her face, smiling and closing her eyes as the smell of Byakuya filled her nose and heat began to circulate in her ball of covers.

"It smells like you," her muffled voice came from underneath the blanket.

"It's a spare from my house," he replied with a smile, noting the happier tone in her voice. He hadn't failed to notice that she had become a little happier during the past few months, and due to her extended time as a captive, she almost seemed to be getting used to it. The Kuchiki's had neither managed to extract any information, nor had they received word from Aizen. Either the police were taking their time over questioning Aizen, or they were just incompetent. Then again, Aizen's Yakuza Empire was so vast, that it would take months to check and investigate all of his warehouses and past activities. Although Byakuya knew in his heart that Rukia would have to be returned back to him once his name was cleared, he was grateful for everyday Rukia was in his care, and not Aizen's. "It wasn't being used, so I thought you'd benefit from it."

"Thank you," came her stifled reply as she continued to childishly roll around in the blanket.

"As is the new tradition," he continued, pulling out the second item from his bag, "I've brought a game we can play." He watched with a frown as she refused to leave the cocoon type thing she had managed to get tangled up in. "Rukia?" He got up and shuffled the few steps to the bed before placing his hands on his hips.

"You've got five seconds to get out of that thing, I don't want you suffocating yourself…" He heard the rustle of sheets as she shook her head, prompting him to smile and begin the countdown, "Five…four…three…"

Rukia stiffened, what was he going to do? She had learnt by now that he wasn't going to hurt her, after all, and although a small part of her remained on guard at all time, she generally trusted him and even enjoyed his company. She couldn't ignore how fast her heart was beating and her body was filled with suspense as he counted down to one. There was a brief pause and then his hands were on her skinny body, tickling her sides through the fabric as she laughed and thrashed around underneath the quilt. Byakuya laughed as he managed to pull back the quilt, shedding light on her blushing, happy face and messy, almost sexy hair as she tried to fend off his tickling.

"Are you going to come out now?" he asked with a smile as he leaned over her, locking eyes with hers. She nodded as a gasp caught in her throat, he looked so incredibly handsome as he smiled above her, and even though she was pleased she was now able to see him, she would have felt just as at ease with him even if she was still blindfolded. It was more than just his looks and model body, she had analysed him without even seeing him, and she liked him for who he was. She had been through so much these past few months, and he was the only thing she could happily cling onto.

"Yes," she replied in mock frustration, rolling her eyes at him. He moved off of her before picking up the large box from the chair and gesturing to the wide-open space of the cold, dusty floor. She got up and out of the quilt, watching in fascination as he squatted on the floor, placing the box on the concrete and lifting the large lid off, revealing a red plastic tray of various cards, dice and tokens.

"What's this?" she asked, sitting down next to the board.

"It's a game famous in the West, and I have personally never been beaten…" he replied proudly, a wide smirk on his face. He'd enjoy thrashing Rukia's small arse at this game and he looked forward to being in the teasing position for once.

"And it is…?" she prompted, watching as he lifted the tray and pulled out a small board before opening it up and placing it on the ground.

"Monopoly," he revealed with an almost cruel smile. He brushed the floor as best he could before sitting down opposite her. When they had first started this 'game' ritual over a month and a half ago, she had teased him mercilessly over him being too posh, stuck-up and prissy to sit on the dirty floor. He had naturally risen to the challenge, much to her annoyance, and sat on the floor with a flawless smile, despite his natural aversion to sitting down on a dirty floor.

"What's that?" she asked with a confused face as he handed her a wad of colourful paper.

"It's a board game," he replied in a matter-of-fact voice, pushing the paper into her hand as he set up the rest of the board.

"I got that far," she shot, noting Byakuya's snarky side, "But what are the rules?"

"Well, we each start by rolling the dice and see who gets higher," he said, passing the die to the small girl and placing them in her palm, "When we find out who goes first, we get to move around the board. These colours show properties and you can buy them with the money I gave you…do you understand so far?"

"I think so," she replied hesitantly, moving the dice around her palm, "So we can buy the colours?"

"Yes," he explained, "The further you get around the board, the more expensive but better the properties get, you really want to aim for buying these. If you buy all of the properties in a set, you can build on them..."

"Right," she replied, cutting him off, "But what's the object of the game?"

"Essentially to dominate the market by owning the most properties and forcing the other person to bankruptcy," he explained, "I do suppose you should be a natural at this game…given your family expertise…"

"And I suppose I'm up against a formidable opponent?" she asked dryly.

"I did say that no-one has ever beaten me," he reminded her with a smile as he picked up the metal tokens from the box.

"What do I get if I win?" she asked, moving her gave from the die to him.

"Get?" he asked confused, he question putting him out somewhat.

"Well," she pointed out with a smirk, "If you've never been beaten, and I manage to beat you, I should be rewarded for brining the mighty Byakuya down…"

"What makes you so sure that you'll win?" he asked as he folded his arms across his chest, "You're sounding awfully cocky, girl."

"This is me you're talking to…" she replied, raising the bar once more. She watched as he thought for a few minutes, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Fine," he conceded with a smile, like fuck she was going to beat him. She might be confident and plucky, but this was his game and his world, she would never be able to get the better of him, "What do you want?"

"I want a bath," she put simply.

"A bath?" he asked, slightly perplexed.

"Yes," she replied, "I've been thinking about how I can ask for one as I realise this probably involves taking me out of this cell, and I assume you're not too willing to do that. But I've only been using products and water from a sink, and I'm desperate to relax and properly bathe."

Byakuya sighed, pity rising in him once again, but this was impossible. Moving her and taking her out of the basement was just too dangerous, anyone could spot her. The whole of Japan was looking for her for fuck's sake, and this had even gone worldwide on the news. But he greatly sympathised with her, he couldn't even imagine not being able to bathe properly every day, and he wanted to make her comfortable and happy. But he couldn't just take her to his apartment to let her shower, and he couldn't bring a tub to her…

"Done," he replied against all odds, "I'll find a way to bring a bath to you. But if I win, I want a prize too."

"Fine," she replied confidently, now all she had to do was win, "State your terms."

"If I win, you have to answer my questions," he replied with a smirk, "Answer _all _questions I ask. If you refuse to give me answers, I get to force them from you."

"Force them?" she asked with raised eyebrows. He had never forced anything from her before, so what possible techniques would he use, seriously? It seemed that he had never forced anything from anyone in his whole life.

"I have my ways," he replied, unfolding his arms and brining the index finger from his free hand to his lips, drawing attention to his handsome features. Rukia blushed profusely, earning a deep chuckle from her opponent, would be tickle her again or ruffle her hair, or even k-kiss her? He wouldn't do that, would he?

Byakuya watched as the girl kept her head down in embarrassment, despite her cockiness; she still blushed and thought of god-knows-what girly things whenever he was around.

"Fine," she replied, bringing her crimson face up to meet his, "I accept your challenge." No matter what, she knew she could always wiggle herself out of answering his questions if she lost, and she longed for a soak in a bath.

"Excellent," he replied. This was in the bag, there was no way he could lose to her; she was only a teenage girl, after all, "Here are the tokens which we move around the board, pick which one you want." He held out his hand to her, revealing the tokens he had been holding until now.

Rukia leaned forward, studying them as he held them out for her to see. An iron, a top hat, a battleship, a car, a dog, a shoe...she picked up the little token of a dog and smiled a how cute it looked.

"The dog," Byakuya confirmed, "You've picked it because you think it's cute, haven't you."

"No," she immediately shot, placing it down on the large 'GO' tile in the corner of the board, "I picked it because I like dogs…" Of course she thought it was cute, but like hell she was going to let Byakuya know that…he would find some way to fun of it for weeks.

"I'll be the top hat, then," he decided, taking back his hand and picking the token out before putting the others back with a clunk.

"Why? Because you think yourself a gentleman?" she asked dryly as he placed his counter down next to hers.

"I try," he replied, his voice as charming as ever, "Ladies first." He handed her the die, watching with a smile, whatever score she got, he'd beat.

She took the die from him before rolling them in her hand and throwing them on the board, "Nine."

"Not bad," he replied, quickly swiping them up and taking his turn, "Seven. Looks like you're first." He handed the die back to her as she grinned cheekily at him, so she had a head start…he'd soon overtake her. She rolled again with vigour before moving her token along the coloured properties, "Community Chest, and I rolled a double. What do I do now?"

"Well," Byakuya pointed out, "You take a community chest card and follow the instructions. After that, you roll again since with rolled doubles."

"Okay," she continued to grin as she picked up the card, "Go straight to Mayfair, if you pass Go, collect £200. So, I move to Mayfair, right?"

"Certainly," he replied with a flawless smile…lucky…she had beginners luck. He watched as she moved all the way around the board before landing on Mayfair.

"Oh," she gasped, realisation hitting her, "It's the most expensive on the board, so I should buy it, right?"

"Do what you think is best," he retorted.

Rukia had know Byakuya long enough now to know when he was irritated, and she could definitely see the beginnings of irritation, "Then…I'll take it!" She eagerly handed Byakuya the money before receiving her change and property card, "Oh, and I get another go!" She rolled the dice again, passing Go and landing on a much cheaper property.

"You're go," she said, handing him the die.

"You're not going to buy it?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"No," she explained with a cheeky grin, "I already have the best property in the game." She smiled at his twitching eyebrow and obvious frustration…even if she didn't win, seeing him like this was certainly worth it.

"Fine," he replied, rolling the dice, "Chance card." He picked up the card and grimaced, "Hospital Bill, pay £150." He scowled as he placed the money in the centre of the board, earning a confused look.

"Why'd you put it there?" she asked.

"Any money made from Chance or Community Chest goes in the middle," he clarified, "If you land on Free Parking, you get to pick up the money and keep it. I always land on it."

"We'll see about that," she muttered as she swiped up the die and threw them. Although she didn't have the same luck the second time around, she still managed to buy a property in the mid-range.

After a few more turns, Byakuya had also secured himself a couple of properties, but had also contributed to the middle of the board again. He wasn't doing as well as normal, but there was plenty of time to beat her. Rukia picked up the die again and Byakuya had the same number of properties as her, though she had the crown jewel of them. She threw doubles again and snagged a few more properties along the way. Byakuya on the other hand landed on several of Rukia's properties since the start of the game and grudgingly handed over money to her smirking face.

"Not doing so well now, are we, Byakuya?" she asked with a grin.

"Beginners luck," he pointed out with a smile.

"I'm still beating your sorry ass," she replied, "Now, hand over." He handed her over the money as he thought; he could still win this, given time.

He rolled again and moved along the board, buying another property in the higher section and dodging the various landmines that were Rukia's properties. Upon Rukia's turn, she was able to complete a set of properties and place a house on one, much to her happiness. Byakuya scowled however as she grinned happily at him and he was sent to jail upon drawing a Chance card on his next turn…what the fuck was happening? This was _his_ game, he had never lost before, but now it seemed she had stolen all of his luck.

"Ended up in jail, I see," she mocked, "How fitting." She took the die from him, rolled and ending up on the 'Free Parking' square, earning her all the money that Byakuya had grudgingly placed there earlier, "See you in three turns."

Byakuya remained calm and collected outside, but this was bad, Rukia was clearly winning. Not just winning though, more like thrashing him, wiping the floor with his sorry ass and worse.

After a hour of play, Byakuya had secured about a quarter of the properties on the board, fairly good going for his terrible bad luck, but Rukia was heavily dominating the game with strips of land on various sides of the board and houses on most of them. He had done a good job of dodging Rukia's more expensive properties, but it wouldn't be long before she bankrupted him and won.

"What'd you say we call this a draw and I'll give you what you want anyway?" he asked in a smooth voice, looking up at her and giving her a gorgeous smile.

"No way," she shot back, "And don't try and give me your model smiles and poses, because they won't work on me. I knew what sort of person you are before I had even seen your face."

"I would never try and sway your decision with my 'model' looks," he replied with a shake of his head.

"Sure…" she said, looking at the last three properties that had not yet been bought, "But no. I am currently winning and I want to completely thrash your confident, cocky ass at this game, pretty boy."

"Fine, fine," he conceded, "Brat."

"I'm not a brat!" she protested, raising her voice at him, "I'm sixteen and…"

"You're not a virgin, have a boyfriend, and you're all grown up," he filled in for her with a sigh, "I know, you've told me many times already." He smiled to himself as her saw her falter, as cocky and lucky as she may be, she was still just a young girl. She rolled once more and landed on her own property before chucking the die at him, which, he caught easily and rolled. He finally sighed in defeat however as he landed on a very expensive plot of Rukia's land and handed her the rest of his money, ultimately losing to her.

"I won!" she cried, "Take that, pretty boy."

Byakuya couldn't help but let a small scowl escape as mortification ruled him, he'd never lost before in his life, and now some hotshot kid had beaten him. It was beginners luck, and nothing more, "Indeed, you won."

"So," she challenged, leaning over the board, "How are you going to get the bath to me?"

"I'll find a way," he replied casually with a smile, though he had no idea how he was going to bring a bath to her. Why'd he agree to her terms, again? Oh, because not even in his wildest dreams did he expect to be beaten at his own game. He gathered the money before sorting it and placed back the cards and tokens before packing up the rest of the board. He placed the game back in his bag before glancing at the time, "I suppose I'd better be off."

"Y-you don't have another game we can play?" Rukia asked quickly, and Byakuya could hear the desperation creep into her voice. Was she desperate for him to stay? Why?

"Only a pack of cards," he replied as he stood up and patted his clothes down of dust and dirt.

"Don't you want to play?" she asked as he prepared himself to leave, and for some inexplicable reason, the idea of him leaving her once more left her feeling lonely and melancholic.

"Do you?" he asked, looking right at her with raised eyebrows and a smirk.

"I don't mind," she replied nonchalantly as she shrugged, but Byakuya knew she wasn't fooling anyone.

"Fine," he replied after a short while, "I've got time. I'll play with you."

"You will?" she asked suddenly as she turned to face him quickly.

"Sure," he smiled as he sat back down and pulled the pack of cards from the inside of his jacket, "What do you want to play?"

"Snap," she replied quickly, a little too quickly for her own liking. Sometimes her mouth just rushed on without her head.

Byakuya smiled, he knew she was going to pick that one, it even appeared to be her favourite, yet he knew she was far too intelligent to merely enjoy the childish ease of this particular game, "You choose this one quite often"

""I-I like this game," she revealed with a blush.

"I can tell," he replied, his voice silky smooth as ever, causing her to flush all the more. She watched as he shuffled the cards with ease before dividing the pack into two and handed her the other half, "Ladies first."

She placed one card face up on the floor in front of them and watched as he took a card from his face down pile before placing it face up on top of hers. Rukia's hand shot upwards to snap, but she stopped the second she realised that it wasn't a match. Byakuya on the other hand, had made no attempt to snap. Rukia placed one down, then Byakuya, then Rukia, then Byakuya, then Rukia…then SNAP. Rukia's hand flew down to snap and Byakuya's landed firmly on top of hers, pinning it to the floor. His hand felt warm and soft on tops of hers, and she suddenly realised why she liked this game so much. He removed his hand and took up the pile, conceding this small victory to her and she felt the warmth leave her as his hand left hers. She didn't let it distract her however and she threw herself into the game, although only a few seconds later did her hand slap on top of Byakuya's. Her hand immediately left his and he chuckled at her obvious embarrassment and weird behaviour around him. She grudgingly took the pile and started once again, back and forth for a short period, before Byakuya's hand landed on hers once more, though his slowing reflexes was deliberate. He left his hand on hers for too long to be a coincidence, and only when she met his burning gaze, did he remove his hand. He laughed again as she turned red and looked away. He knew that blushing look – he'd dated enough women to figure it out by now, and even though he knew he shouldn't' be doing this, he loved to tease her and ruffle her feathers.

The game ended quickly – too quickly for Rukia's liking, but Byakuya dominated her in the card game, despite his lack of ability at playing Monopoly. He packed the cards back up and patted his clothes once more before turning to leave like earlier, but this time Rukia didn't stop him. She realised that he's a busy person and entertaining her is probably the last thing he wants to do, and the thought instantly saddened her.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he saw Rukia's upset features.

"Oh, nothing," she replied quickly with a shake of her head.

"Okay," Byakuya said, the familiar pang of guilt shooting through him. What the fuck was this girl doing to him? The only time he'd ever felt guilty was when he was a child, but now, he felt guilty whenever he saw her, "I've got to find a way to bring a bath to you. I'll be back sometime during the week, maybe after work, perhaps."

"Okay," she forced a smile, trying to hide her disappointment that he was leaving. He flashed her one of his heart-stopping gorgeous smiles before turning to leave.

xxxxxxx

The young man managed to guide the large dog around the large room, trying to find anything that might help him. He was still a rookie, and his colleagues constantly made him remember it. He was fresh out of university and fresh onto the force, and even though he still had his training wheels on, he had been allowed to have access to the case – a rare and very lucky feat. He wanted to impress his superiors, but he had never been fond of dogs, especially large dogs, and he found the giant German Shepherd a challenge at times. Still, he was a good companion, and they'd be lost without their team of canines. He and the dog had been searching the room for over half an hour and he sincerely doubted he would ever find anything. He sighed as he let the lead go, letting the dog sniff and dig around the room freely. This was ridiculous; the girl was long gone, and most likely dead or sold into prostitution – never to be seen again. He shuddered, his job training had taught him to prepare for the worst in every situation, and after three months of her missing and no leads whatsoever, the team were beginning to give up hope. It's like she just vanished. It was nearing October by now and the weather would be turning cold soon, which would make the search all the more difficult.

He was snapped from his thoughts as the dog began barking loudly as it tried to dig in the corner of the room. He walked over casually – it was probably a poor defenceless mouse or a rat or something, soon to be made into a chew toy. He frowned however as the dog sped up, digging furiously at the dirt and mud until it unearthed a small object. He picked it up before the dog could grab at it and examined it intently, now glad that he was wearing latex gloves, this could be full of fingerprints and DNA.

"Sir," he called, but upon hearing no reply, he stuck his head out of the door and yelled louder, "Sir, I have something you might want to see?"

"What is it, rookie?" the older and much more experienced man replied as he ambled into the dank room.

"The dog found this in the corner," he explained as he held up the small keychain, "It appears to be a key chain of some sort, and I recognise the brand, my little sister loves this design, it's that rabbit plush toy, lots of girls love this brand."

"This looks familiar," he older man agreed as he strained his eyes and wracked his thoughts, where had he seen this before?" He took the toy and carried it over to the giant table full of documents. He quickly flicked through all Rukia's pictures before stopping at one of the girl in her school uniform and school bag – what she was wearing before she was abducted. He grabbed a magnifying glass and looked intently before stopping at her school bag and instantly realising that it used to hang from her bag.

"Well done, Rookie," he turned and gave the young man a hearty pat on the back, we have our lead.

* * *

**I know everyone has different rules for Monopoly, but these are mine, so sorry if you have a slightly different way of playing! Being British, we use the pound sterling £ instead of dollars $, euros € or yen ****¥. Although they are Japanese and playing in Japan, I am not familiar with the Japanese version of the game, so for my own ease of writing, I wrote the British version, sorry for the inconvenience. In the next chapter, Rukia gets her bath ;) **


	7. Part 2, Point 2

**A/N: Merry belated Christmas and a Happy New Year guyz!**

**Well, I've decided to do a mega update and update most of the Byaruki's together, just because I've been having Internet issues and I've not been able to update as I usually do. I know it's not the one that you all wanted but it will be updated next, it's on the top of the list!**

**WARNINGS: Fluff, tension, sexual tension, younger Rukia, older Byakuya, adult situations etc**

**I don't own Bleach. **

* * *

Part 2:2

It wasn't until the first week of October that Byakuya had had the time or resources to fulfil Rukia's request. Now that winter was coming up, he had secured a new contract with a much smaller fashion company in the hopes of bringing it into the spotlight. He was still modelling for the fashion giants, of course, but he didn't really care for whom he modelled – so long as they paid him. The bath situation had, much to his annoyance, perplexed him for a short while. He knew he couldn't take her out of the warehouse basement yet and getting a bathtub down to her would be just as challenging. For one, just fitting it through the door would be difficult enough, and secondly, there was very little plumbing down there, only a toilet. It wasn't like he could just call a plumber and get him to install a bathtub complete with hot and cold running water.

It wasn't until he was inspecting one of their other warehouses that a thought occurred to him. He then had on of his lackeys visit various industrial sites in order to purchase a rudimentary tub of some sort and heat-protective lining. Any paperwork for purchasing was dealt with using pseudonyms and common workers in the gang were sent to do any biddings – lest they are caught for suspicious activities. Byakuya already suspected that the police might investigate into their gang, but seeing as Aizen's gang was far more notorious and large, most, if not all suspicious would be on him. Still, anonymity and careful planning was always a good idea though.

As Renji had long finished up his dealings in Kyoto, Byakuya had decided to put him in charge of transporting and preparing the tub for Rukia to use. Renji of course had grumbled at having to cater to the brat's whims and demands, and had complained that Byakuya was being a push over and was bending to her will.

"And that's why, you don't get the ladies," Byakuya had reminded him upon Renji's constant grumbles, "You don't listen to them and show you care."

"Yeah, well, I don't like little girls," he had retorted each time.

"I don't either," Byakuya agreed, "But that doesn't stop them from liking me."

After a week of work, Renji whistled at his handiwork as the large truck, driven by one of his colleagues, turned up at the warehouse gravel car park. Byakuya stood next to him as the driver exited the cab and began to unload the large tub, with the help of some of the other workers that had shown up.

"Nice work,' Byakuya complimented Renji with a head nod, which for Byakuya, was rare. He had to admit that he was impressed by Renji's organisational skills, the tub looked more than appropriate for the task at hand. The only question was, how was the water going to work? The water transport idea wasn't ideal, but hopefully it would work. As Renji barked his orders at the rest of the men, he turned back to head into the warehouse and see Rukia. Naturally, she jumped up from her bed and put her romance novel down as she heard the key in the lock, and Byakuya, handsome as ever, greeted her with his heart-breaker smile. He noted that today, she was wearing one of his old shirts and a pair of his slacks, and although they buried her, she looked awfully cute in them. Perhaps her cuteness was amplified by her shy smile and the small gleam in her eyes upon seeing him.

"I have something for you," he revealed as he grabbed the chair he usually sits on and moved it into the corner of the room.

"What?" she asked hopefully as she moved to stand by one of the cold walls as he then pushed her bed to the back wall, grimacing as the metal scraped against the stone floor.

"Your bath," he replied casually as her jaw dropped in surprise, "That's not your most attractive face." She immediately closed her mouth as he walked over to her, and he placed his two index fingers on the corners of her mouth, "I like this look better." He moved his fingers up so that he made her smile and he smirked at her crimson face and makeshift grin. When he moved away from her, she was now smiling of her own accord, and he matched her face with a smirk of his own. She was so much prettier when she smiled.

"You really have a bath for me?" she asked, suddenly awe-struck and impressed by his ability to keep promises.

"Of course," he confirmed as he headed back towards the door as Renji called down.

"We have it here, how are we going to get it down the steps?" the loud voice called from the doorway.

"Turn it on its side and force it through," he commanded before turning to Rukia, "You'll need to get into the bathroom and shut the door, as technically you're still supposed to be tied up and blindfolded."

"I thought you were the boss," Rukia frowned.

"I am," he replied, "But I don't want it known to Aizen that our treatment of you is much more relaxed than his."

"Oh, okay," she agreed, not wanting to get Byakuya into trouble, "I'll head into the bathroom." She rushed into the bathroom as she heard people coming down the stairs, shutting the door behind her and sitting on the toilet lid. She heard Byakuya's commands and then various grunts of other men as something banged and clanged down the stairs. The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stood on end as something scraped against the stone walls, the noise cutting straight through her and making her shiver. She could hear the pineapple man grumbling, followed by Byakuya's chastisement, making her laugh despite her sudden chill. There was a final clang before the noise of the men retreating up the stairs.

"You can come out now," she heard Byakuya reply, prompting her to push the door open and face Byakuya and Renji who stood on the other side of a large metal tub in front of her. She noticed that Renji was taller than Byakuya, but of course, Byakuya was far better looking. She looked at the tub in front of her now and smiled, excitement filling her as she could finally take a bath.

"Where's the water?" she asked as she peered into the tub. It appeared to be a large industrial sized container, lined with insulating plastic of some sort, no doubt to stop her from burning herself when the metal heats up. They had obviously put a lot of effort into it. The thought warmed her.

"Over there," Byakuya pointed over to a load of barrels and containers filled with water, "We'll pour it in when you're ready."

"Oh, okay," she smiled at Byakuya before looking at Renji and scowling, who scowled back just as quickly, "Why didn't you just buy a real bath instead of this large tub?"

"A large container fits in with this surrounding more easily," Byakuya pointed out, "If we are inspected, it could pass as a skip or a rubbish container, where as a bath looks a bit like a bath."

"Well, I'm not complaining," Rukia replied, "It's far bigger than an average bath, it can fit at least three people by the looks of it. How'd you get it in here?"

"Force," Renji replied quickly before heading towards the stairs as Byakuya followed him. Renji exited, and Byakuya shut the door behind him before turning to his friend. Renji placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, much to Byakuya's surprise, "I'm worried about the girl."

"What about her?" Byakuya asked, confused. It wasn't like Renji to express such concern about people, particularly when they were linked to cases.

"She likes you," Renji stated the obvious.

"Lots of girls like me, it is a part of the job," Byakuya shrugged casually.

"No, I mean she really likes you," Renji tried to explain, "You can tell she has a thing for you."

"It's called Stockholm Syndrome, Renji," Byakuya pointed out, "She only likes me because I'm being nice to her, and I'm only being nice so that she'll give us the information."

"You've changed too though," Renji argued, "When was the last time you went on a date?"

"Miss Shihoin is in Hong Kong promoting her fashion line at the moment," Byakuya hedged, "It would be difficult to have a date with her right now."

"There's tons of girls out there, and you know it," Renji accused, "You haven't made any attempt to call back any of the girls in weeks."

"I don't need this from you," Byakuya replied harshly as he tried to walk back into the basement.

"I'm just worried is all," Renji concluded as he gripped onto Byakuya's shoulder, effectively stopping him from walking away, "I'm worried that she's fallen in love with you, and you're not going to be able to give her back…you need to get your head out of this now, before you get sucked in any further."

"As soon as we give her back to Aizen or her family, or wherever she goes, any feelings for me will vanish and she will adapt to her new surroundings," Byakuya pointed out as he turned to Renji's worried face once more, "She'll forget all about me and start crushing on the next guy who feels any ounce of pity or concern for her. It's what happens to people in these situations."

"For your sake, I hope you're right," Renji concluded as Byakuya opened the door to the basement

"Don't worry, Renji," Byakuya brushed off easily, "It'll be fine."

Renji scowled as Byakuya headed down to the basement. For saying Byakuya was so intelligent, he could be bloody dense and hotheaded sometimes.

Byakuya headed down the steps, taking in Renji's words as Rukia once again stood up quickly from her sitting position on her bed as she saw him. Of course she was suffering from Stockholm syndrome, he was being incredibly nice to her, so why wouldn't she be?

"Do you want to bathe now or later?" he asked as she eyed the bath longingly

"Now," she replied quickly, excitement rising within her.

"Okay," he agreed, "You'll need to grab your towel and washing things to prepare whilst I pour the water in."

She nodded as she grabbed the body wash, shampoo, conditioner, towel, washcloth and body sponge that Rangiku had given her recently before heading into the bathroom. Byakuya meanwhile tipped the containers of hot water into the bath. He had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and Rukia could see his muscled arms as he lifted the barrels with ease and tipped in container after container. It wasn't until he stopped mid tip and turned his head to her did she stop staring and shut the bathroom door, hiding behind it with her gaze planted on the ground. She heard him chuckle and he shook his head in response. She kept her determination set as she emerged from the bathroom to embarrassingly pour pinkish liquid into the tub as he poured in the water, creating a small layer of bubbles. By the time Byakuya had emptied all of the containers, the bath was incredibly full, and he knew that it was more of a mini-swimming pool for Rukia, than a bath. Though now at least she couldn't complain.

"There," he concluded as she looked up at him, embarrassed, "I'll go sit by the door while you bathe."

"You're going to stay in here whilst I bathe naked?" she half-cried, shocked and embarrassed.

"I have to," Byakuya put simply with a smirk before he moved to grab the chair that he had placed in the corner.

"Why?" She cried, her face fully flushed red, "You're just trying to perv on me!"

"Please, Rukia," he scoffed with a shake of his head, "I have lots of ladies whom I can 'perv' on as you put it, I'm not attracted to little girls."

"Fine," she replied as she crossed her arms, now more offended than anything, "If you're not here to perv, then why are you stopping in the room with me?"

"To make sure you don't kill yourself," he replied honestly, his voice edged in a hard tone. He placed the chair down next to the door before heading back over to her bed.

"What?" Rukia asked as her confidence left her body and she quickly unfolded her arms, she had not been expecting that.

"My job is to make sure that you remain alive and, to some extent, well tended to," he explained as he looked through the various books and magazines she was reading, "And with a big tub of water there, you could easily drown yourself if you so wished."

"W-why would I do that?" she asked as she paled, why would he think that?

"You've been kidnapped, are now being held in a dank basement by various men, some of whom will do despicable things to you if you don't co-operate, and you have no idea what's going to happen to you," Byakuya pointed out, raising his voice a little, "A lot of captives would kill themselves given the chance, and we've just given you a golden opportunity right here. That's why I'm going to keep an eye on you."

"Oh," Rukia whispered, realising that he had a very good point, and if Rukia were in his situation, she too would watch a captive like a hawk. She frowned; she never thought she would be thinking from his point of view and she had never imagined herself sympathising with her captor, "o-okay."

She watched as he took various magazines and a book back with him to the chair by the door before sitting down and beginning to read, "S-should I start then?"

"If you want to," he replied with a shrug, not bothering to look up at her.

She blushed before heading into the bathroom and taking her clothes off, her face burning as she unhooked her bra and slid her panties off before placing them in a pile by the door. She wrapped herself in a spare towel as she had left her main one by the bath before heading back to the large tub. She sneaked a peak at Byakuya, who was reading, unfazed by her only being dressed in a towel. She kept her hands firmly clutching her towel to her as she placed one foot in the hot water and whimpered at how hot it still was.

Byakuya instinctively looked up at she whimpered, "Is it too hot?"

"It's okay," she shook her head quickly as she stared down at the bubbly water, "It's a little warm, but it's okay."

She placed her other foot in and winced at the heat but as she pulled it out and dunked it in again, she slowly adapted. She stood with one foot in the bath, trying to keep her balance as she slowly lowered her other foot and repeated the process of adaptation. Slowly but surely, she lowered herself into the hot water, getting used to the hot water as the water naturally cooled over time. She lowered herself, all the while lifting the towel up her body as the sides of the tub hid her lower half. When she was submerged to her breasts, she lifted the towel above her head and threw it on the floor before sitting on the bottom of the tub as her chin skimmed the top of the water. She was glad that the sides were high, as it allowed her to float on top of the water whilst being covered from where Byakuya was sitting. She closed her eyes as the hot water swirled around her, and for the first time in a long while, she felt contented and relaxed. The water felt incredible as it skimmed over her flat stomach and modest breasts whilst she floated on the water, and she could feel it cleaning away the months of dirt. She spread her arms and legs out as much as she could, given the size of the tub, and concentrated on the ceiling to stop herself from drifting to sleep.

She realised that she could hear a decent amount in the water: her own breathing, the sound of the water sloshing over her ears, Byakuya clearing his throat every now and again, and even him turning a page of a book every now and again. She didn't know how long she floated but as she felt the bath beginning to cool, she realised that she had to wash thoroughly before the water became too cold. She sat up on her knees as she pushed her wet hair from her face and reached down over the side to grab her body wash. She squirted some into her hand before placing it back on the floor beside the tub and rubbed it into her arms and shoulders. She had forgotten about the man sitting by the main door until she heard the turning of pages and his breathing every now and again. She looked over to him and noticed instantly that he was much more relaxed than normal. He was slouched slightly in the chair, his right leg resting over his left knee as he read something, and Rukia could see that he'd undone the top buttons of his shirt, allowing her to blushingly glimpse a small portion of his collarbone and neck.

She stiffened as he looked up to meet her gaze and she was suddenly glad that everything below her shoulders was covered. She turned quickly so that she had her back to him before she carried on washing herself with a crimson sheen. She heard the deep laugh of Byakuya as he watched her struggle under his gaze. She turned back once to grab the sponge from the pile of accompaniments before dunking it in the water and rubbing her arms, hands and neck with it. The result was evident on the sponge and a light colouring of grey and brown spoiled the pink beauty tool. She continued down her body, scrubbing her breasts, stomach, legs and sensitive areas under the water.

"I've read a chapter of this book of yours. This romance novel that you've decided to indulge yourself in," he said suddenly, causing her to jump at his abrupt speech, "And even though I'm only one chapter in, I found it to be both very cliché and rather graphic."

Rukia couldn't reply as mortification stilled her, he was reading the short romance book? It wasn't like she had much to read anyway, so she didn't have much choice, but still, having Byakuya find out what she's reading? It embarrassed her to no end, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up into her bed sheets and hide.

"R-Rangiku gave it to me," she stuttered with a shrug, her voice uneven and higher pitched than normal.

"I can tell that she would give you this sort of book," he continued, "But this does sound familiar: an intelligent, suave, devilishly handsome and rich young man saving the day by capturing the heart of the shy, girlish and, pretty, yet normal young girl."

"Familiar?" she asked suddenly, keeping her back to him.

"Well, I am all of those things," he pointed out, "If they make a movie out of this, I would easily make the leading male protagonist."

"Do you ever get tired of your ridiculous pride and snobbery?" she snorted.

"Not at all," he replied casually, "In fact I enjoy it."

"Of course you do," she muttered as she decided to wash her hair. She turned side-ways on to Byakuya so that she could stretch out completely in the tub before floating again. She then pushed her backside to the floor before tipping her head backward so that her hair was submersed. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she completely submerged her whole body, lying on the bottom contentedly. She always used to do this as a child, relax in the water as she listened to it swirl around her ears. The warm water felt relaxing on her face and in her hair and she took the advantage to gently rub her face with the sponge to clear away the dirt before running her hands through her hair.

Byakuya started the second chapter of Rukia's trashy book; both amused and weirdly turned on. He had no idea these books were so graphic so early on, and even though he was only one chapter through it, there was already enough sexual tension and sex scenes for a whole novel. He glanced up at the tub before looking back at the book and shifting uncomfortably in his seat, this was pathetic, here he was getting turned on by a trashy book in the dingy basement whilst watching over an abducted naked sixteen year old whilst she bathed. He sighed to himself; he really, really needed to find some form of girlfriend. Renji's right, there are tons of girls who want to date him, yet here he was, not bothering to date anyone. Yoruichi is in Hong Kong, successfully launching her clothing and perfume range, so she wasn't on the table, but perhaps Orihime? He shuddered; she'd be great, if he could get past her incessant high-pitched chatter. He closed the book and threw it on the floor before picking up a magazine, looking up at the tub on the way. He stilled before shock and worry hit him, causing him to throw the magazine on the floor.

He rushed over to the tub, where the fuck was she? He couldn't see her from where he had been sitting, how long had she been gone? He stood beside the tub, desperately looking into the tub, and upon seeing her pale face beneath the water as bubbles rose from her lips, he no longer cared for her nakedness or modesty. Shit, this was bad, he knew he had to watch her from drowning herself, he was just angry that he had trusted her not to kill herself. He quickly threw his leg over the side and into the tub, sloshing water over the side as his jeans leg became soaked, though he cared not for this. His heart was pounding and his breath short as he reached in and pulled Rukia from the bottom of the tub.

Rukia spat and coughed everywhere as she was forcefully yanked from the tub, trying to take in great gulps of air as water went up her nose. Her hands went to her eyes to rub them and she coughed as she tried to clear the water from her nose and mouth.

'What the fuck are you doing?" she heard the voice yell at her.

She opened her eyes once she had rubbed the water from them and looked up to see Byakuya leaning over her, both legs in the tub with her. His hands were around her back and neck, lifting her out of the water, but despite her surprise, all she could do was cough the water out.

"What the hell are _you_ doing?" She finally cried back.

"I told you not to drown yourself," he bellowed, the fury etched onto his face, "Don't you fucking dare do that again."

"I was washing my hair and face," she cried back, dishing his fury back at him, "Why the hell did you rip me from the water?"

"I thought you'd drowned or done something stupid like fallen asleep," he continued to yell, exasperated yet relieved.

"So? What's it to you?" Rukia accused, both angry and slightly fearful for his aggressive stance and yelling. She had never seen him like this, and she realised that she was afraid of his side of him, he could really do some damage to her if he wanted.

"I care about you," he cried back, his breathing heavy and his heart thudding like never before.

"W-what?" Rukia asked, her anger leaving her body entirely and her voice dropping down to a quiet stutter.

"I…" Byakuya started, but stopped as the tension left his body and Rukia sat up of her own accord, her face just inches from his. He could see her confused blush and he could feel his own face heat up from the closeness. Fuck, her gaze was flickering from his eyes to his lips, and he could tell what fleeting thought was flittering through her mind. It was written on her face. He studied her face properly now, her cheeks were flushed; her skin clean and smooth; her eyes large and expressive, and she was completely and utterly beautiful. They were close, too close and he knew that with each passing second, he had to stop himself from doing something stupid.

As her hands were gripping the sides, Rukia watched as Byakuya let go of her and moved away, her heart thumping and the small feeling of disappointment filling her. She could have sworn he was going to kiss her, his lips were so close to hers, and he had been staring at her intently. But why would he kiss her? She sighed to herself, but the real question was: did she want him to kiss her? She didn't know why, but a tiny part of her did want him to kiss her, despite her brain telling her to stop being so stupid.

"What are you anyway, a size AA cup?" he asked as he went to sit back down.

Rukia's mouth dropped open in mortification as her arms crossed over her breasts instinctively. Her face became bright red in humiliation, and she had forgotten in her haze that he been able to see her, "I-I'm a s-small B cup, a-actually! And I'm still growing!"

"Sure, sure," he smirked, his earlier embarrassment at seeing her naked seemingly forgotten.

"Y-You care about me?" she plucked up the courage to ask as he started flicking through a magazine.

"I care _for_ you," Byakuya corrected her almost harshly, "It's my job, to care for your wellbeing."

"No, you said 'about', you care 'about' me," she pointed out accusingly, "There's a difference."

"Same thing," he brushed off casually, though he knew that he had let slip his caring attitude towards her.

"It's not," she mumbled, though she knew that he wouldn't argue the point anymore. She smiled to herself, he cared about her?

"Why did you dunk your head under the water?" He asked as he looked up at her.

"I was trying to wash my hair," she shrugged casually.

"Did you get it done?" he asked.

"No, you thwarted me," she pointed out dryly.

"I'll help you," he offered with a smile.

"W-what?" she stammered, looking over at him disbelievingly, her face the usual flushed colour.

"I'll help you then," he shrugged as he moved over to her whilst rolling his sleeves up his arms.

"W-why?" she asked as her arms crossed over her chest in an attempt to cover herself, despite that he couldn't see anything below her collarbone.

"I don't want you playing 'dunk the hair' again," he argued as he kneeled on the floor behind the tub.

"Do you know how to?" she asked as she looked straight ahead, conscious that he was sitting directly behind her.

"Really, Rukia?" he questioned with a shake of his head.

She turned around and met his gaze, unlike his usual strong gaze, his expression seemed soft, relaxed even. 'Oh, yeah," she muttered upon reminding herself of his lengthy hair. Of course he knows how to wash hair.

"I'll be right back," he said suddenly as he stood back up and made his way to the door. He was only gone for about a minute when he returned with what looked like a mug. He settled back down behind her before grabbing the shampoo and measuring a single dosage.

Rukia jumped upon feeling his slender fingers touch her head, and she stood on edge for the immediate aftertime. This was surreal, she was in a basement, having her hair washed in an industrial metal tub by quite possibly the sexiest man alive, not to mention the most desired in Japan.

"You're so stiff," he chastised her and set to work massaging the cleansing solution into her scalp. Like clockwork, Rukia warmed to his touch in seconds and sighed a contented sound at his efforts to relax her. She kept her arms crossed over her chest to shield herself from his view but she realised he was far too immersed him his task to play the role of the pervert. She stifled her sighs and soft groans at the magic his talented fingers were working on her, it was certainly helping to comfort her, and she could tell that he was good with his hands.

He gently tipped her head back and dipped the mug into the water to rinse the shampoo out. He worked quickly but gently as he ran his fingers through her hair in an attempt to get the knots and kinks out. He conditioned next, making her hair silky smooth and soft as he repeated the procedure, finger-combing it, and then rinsing the water out. He gathered her hair together before squeezing the water out and letting it fall down her neck to finish.

To Rukia, it was over all too soon and he got up from behind her to take his place back on his seat by the door, leaving her to open her eyes and snap back to reality. She shivered as the water had now cooled rapidly; prompting goose pimples and hardened nipples that she blushingly hid in the water. She looked at her pruned fingertips for a second before reaching down quickly at the side of the tub and grabbing her towel. Her gaze darted to Byakuya and once she was satisfied that he was engrossed in a magazine, she stood up quickly as she lifted the towel, using it as a screen in which to cover herself. She wrapped it around herself before lifting one foot, shaking off the water and stepping onto the cold stone floor. She stepped out completely before heading to the pile of clean clothes and picking up a new t-shirt and a pair of old pyjama bottoms Byakuya had given to her a few weeks ago. He had offered to get Rangiku to buy her a pair of feminine pyjamas, but she had declined, instead asking for an old pair of his. She carried them to the bathroom before shutting the creaky door and drying herself fully. She kept her back to the door, lest it slowly creak open to reveal her nakedness as she dried and dressed herself. In the meantime, she heard the footsteps of numerous people enter the cell before talking in loud voices. The sound of sloshing water and the scrape of metal upon earth came next. She stood on edge, as she always did when new people, particularly lots of them, enter her cell and move around. It always brought back the memory of Aizen's men standing behind him menacingly, and the recollection never failed to bring a shudder to her small body, and tears to her eyes.

After a few minutes, silence descended upon the room next to her, however, it was soon broken by a gently knocking upon the door behind her, causing a small jump of surprise.

"Rukia, have you finished?" she immediately recognized Byakuya's voice and her anxiousness left her as quickly as it had filled her and she caught herself smiling at his voice. She opened the door and immediately noticed that the tub had been emptied and moved to the far corner of the room. Her bed and the chair had also been replaced back to their normal positions. She met Byakuya's smile and gaze with her own as she headed to the centre of the room.

Byakuya tugged the towel from her grip quickly before throwing it over her head and rubbing roughly, drying her hair for her. She was giggling as he continued to rub vigorously, sending her hair in all directions as it dried somewhat. He removed the towel and she was plunged into the full light again, revealing a messy yet sexy-haired Rukia. She frowned as he stilled, unmoving for several seconds as he continued to stare at her. She saw something within his features that she had never seen before, not just within him, but within anyone before. It was not a look she was familiar with, and she couldn't deny that she was both curious and moved by it. She felt a pang deep within her, but she couldn't identify it and she had certainly never experienced it before. Eventually, his gaze was torn from hers and she cried out in sudden surprise as the she was swept clean off the ground and found herself within the arms of her captor.

"What are you doing?" she asked quickly, squirming against him as he carried her bridal style.

"Getting you ready for bed," he replied casually.

"W-what?" she stuttered, blushing profusely at his reply.

"You've been fed and bathed so now it's time for bed," he pointed out as he lowered her onto the bed before grabbing the quilt and throwing it over her.

"I'm pretty sure it's not bedtime yet," she protested like a child, but snuggled into the quilt nonetheless.

"Then read or something," he suggested as he sat back down on the chair.

She sighed as she picked up the book that he had returned before opening it and beginning to read. His smirk and continual soft gaze put her off, however, and she soon found herself reading the words without processing them or even taking them in.

"Thank you for the bath," she said as he stood up and grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair, as usual, "I didn't think you'd be able to pull it off."

"Baby, I can pull anything off," he replied with his casual demeanour and smirk, prompting a smile from her despite her sadness that he was leaving once more, "But you're welcome."

"Can't you stay longer?" she asked, desperation creeping into her voice as she supported herself on her elbow and looked up at him.

Her damp hair was still roughed up sexily around her small face and large eyes and the sight annoying tugged at Byakuya's heart…since when did he feel so attached to her? He had never seen her in such a way, but now she looked at him with desperation, her beautiful eyes calling him back to her and her messy hair framed her face sexily. She probably wasn't even aware of just what she was doing it, but it was certainly working. He had only seen her body briefly, and much to his own disgust, he couldn't help but imagine her soft body writhing in pleasure, her hair damp with sweat not water, and her eyes filled with the pleasure of orgasm, not desperation and sadness. It would be a beautiful sight indeed.

He shook his head of his momentary blip…where the fuck did that come from? He sighed internally, he was deprived now, a starved man indeed. He needed to find a woman. He was reminded of Rukia's request as she shifted in bed and had a look of confusion at his long pause.

"I-I'm sorry," he replied hoarsely before clearing his throat, making sure he only half-turned to face her, "I've got some things to sort out. But I'll see you next week."

"Oh…okay," she replied disappointedly, watching him exit her cell without looking back.

She tried reading for a short while, but found that she was unable to concentrate on the words in front of her. Giving up, she stared up at the ceiling and revelled in the clean feeling that the bath had left her in. She smiled and wriggled her toes in the sheets of the quilt, relishing the idea of being clean and warm for a sort while. Contented, it didn't take long for her to fall asleep, clutching the quilt as she deeply inhaled the scent of Byakuya that was so deeply ingrained into the quilt.

xxxxxxx

"Give it up, Aizen," the experienced investigator pressed the criminal for a confession, "DNA evidence was found all over that toy we found in your warehouse."

Aizen's smooth gaze and soft smile had never faltered in the two hours that they had been hammering him like this. He'd said nothing, only inwardly festered at the stupidity of the morons that worked for him. Once he got out of this, heads would roll. How hard was it? Capture the girl and destroy all evidence. But no, they had fucked up, big time. She's a tiny thing, how hard is it to grab her when she struggles against a big man? They were pressing him hard for a confession, and both he and the officers knew that they'd backed him into a corner.

"We've got enough evidence to prosecute you," the officer continued, becoming tired of this and repeating his accusation. He just hope the sick fucker ended up where he belonged, in high security prison, "The DNA match found on your property is more than enough to place you at the heart of the crime."

After a few more minutes, he sighed before getting up and leaving his partner in charge. He exited the plain room before walking into the separate room, behind the two-way mirror.

"He's not budging," the female chief concluded upon seeing her colleague join them.

"Two hours, forty-four minutes, and six seconds. Still nothing," a second man agreed.

"We've got enough to prosecute him and get him a trial soon," the investigator continued, "But it's just finding the body. Her family want to know what happened to her, at least, and bury her body. But he's not letting up."

"Body?" the woman asked with raised eyebrows.

"It's unlikely she's survived," the investigator said coldly, "These are hardened men, criminals of the underground, and main members of the illegal pornography and women trafficking trade. Anything could have happened whilst with these men."

"But she's not just a girl," the second man pointed out, "She's a multi-millionaire heiress, probably a multi-billionaire for all we know. She wouldn't be sold off or simply raped and killed for pleasure."

"She would have been ransomed off by now," the female argued, "This is the sixth month that's she's been missing, and this is the only thing we've found. Ransom's are exchanged within a month, two at most, it's usually a quick 'grab the person and get the money' deal. Criminals don't want to be caught, so they act quickly."

"There must be something else," the second man agreed, "A vendetta perhaps, seeing the rich man struggle and worry about his granddaughter?"

"Maybe," the first man conceded a little, "But we've thoroughly investigated Yamamoto's various companies and holdings, and as we expected there are no shady dealings of any sort, he isn't a criminal himself."

"What about employees and personnel, anything there?" the woman pressed.

"Well the company has seen its fair share of staff coming and going, it is the recession after all, but it's nothing out of the ordinary compared to other companies. Besides, we tracked all employees that were fired in the past year, and after interviewing family after family, we haven't found anything suspicious."

"Did they give reasons for being laid off?" she continued.

"The usual: recession, lack of interest in their sector, overspending and so on," he continued.

"Are you sure you haven't found anything linking Aizen to Yamamoto?" she pressed.

"No, nothing other than the obvious issues of money and power," he concluded.

"What's the thought process?" the final investigator asked as he entered the room and left Aizen alone in the investigation room.

"The evidence alone is enough to prosecute him for the abduction of Rukia Yamamoto, but there isn't enough evidence to prosecute him for murder," the woman informed him, "Unless he talks now, he's facing a court sentence of at least twenty years."

"He hasn't said anything," the new-comer pointed out, "He'll get a reduced sentence if he admits it."

"_If_ he admits it," the older investigator interjected, "He may never reveal anything."

As if on cue, Aizen lifted his gaze from the table to the mirror, knowing full well that various investigators and members of the police were behind it, watching his every move as they fathomed out his involvement with the Yamamoto girl. Still furious with the shit that his lackeys had left the situation in, he prepared his statement for the police that would shift the suspicion and help clear his name. He would still be arrested and prosecuted but it would at least be better than the decades in prison that he could face.

"He's looked up," one of the men pointed out, "It's the first time he's acknowledged us. Perhaps he's ready to talk."

"We'll see," the elder of the two investigators shrugged as he and the younger investigator took their places in front of Aizen once more. They sat for a few seconds in front of him, waiting for him to say something as he continued to smile at them.

"Ready to talk?" the younger man finally broke the stifling silence.

When Aizen didn't answer the eldest of the two investigators led the way, "Did you abduct Rukia Yamamoto?"

"No," Aizen finally replied, his voice silky smooth despite his earlier vow of silence.

Although taken aback by his decision to speak, the elder investigator carried on without stumbling, pressing Aizen for answers.

"Do you know who did kidnap her, then?" he asked.

"Of course," Aizen smiled as he folded her arms across his chest.

"Where is she, Aizen?" the investigator pushed, his voice rising.

"I can't say for sure," he riddled them with a smile.

"Is she alive or dead?" he pressed, his voice steadily rising as he became increasingly frustrated.

Aizen shrugged, inwardly laughing as the investigator scrabbled for answers. He hadn't had this much fun in a while.

"Who abducted her?" the younger man asked, his voice calm and collected in contrast to the strained voice of his colleague.

Aizen sighed a little, almost refusing to cut short his fun, however he knew he needed to get the ball rolling if this was to pay off, "The Kuchiki's…they have her. They took her right off the street."

Aizen watched the younger man leave hastily, no doubt to confer with his colleagues behind the screen. The elder man tuned off the recorder before taking the tape out and rushing to speak to his co-workers also.

"He's still to be placed in high suspicion as we've found evidence in his warehouse, however he can be released on bail," the woman behind the screen concluded to her male colleagues, "In the meantime, this statement that the Kuchiki gang have her will be fully investigated. Immediately."

* * *

**So yeah, Aizen is in the shit now. More byaruki cuteness and development to follow in the next chapter! Hope you liked it ~**


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